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Storm Ciara

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Storm Ciara
The storm off the eastern coast of the United States on 7 February
Formed4 February 2020 (2020-02-04)
Areas affectedUnited Kingdom, Ireland, Isle of Man, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland
Part of the 2019–20 European windstorm season

Storm Ciara, also known as Storm Sabine in the German-speaking DACH countries, is an active extratropical cyclone, and the third named storm of the 2019–20 UK and Ireland windstorm season. Ciara has brought heavy rain and severe winds across much of the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and Sweden.[1][2]

Meteorological history

Map plotting the track of the storm according to the Ocean Prediction Center

On 4 February, the Met Office issued a yellow warning for wind for the following weekend for a potential storm, covering all of the United Kingdom. At the time, no name was issued for the system involved. The storm was formally named Ciara[a] by the Met Office in the United Kingdom, and Sabine by the Deutscher Wetterdienst in Germany.[3]

It formed out of a weak area of low pressure emerging into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern United States earlier that day; the precursor system had previously brought heavy snowfall to large tracts of the United States, and tornadoes across the southern and mid-Atlantic states.[4] The precursor system further developed over the northeastern United States, bringing 80 mph (130 km/h) wind gusts to coastal New England on 7 February.[5]


Preparations and impact

United Kingdom

On 4 February, the Met Office issued a yellow warning for wind for the following weekend for a potential storm, covering all of the United Kingdom. At the time, no name was issued for the system involved. The following day, the storm was formally named Ciara by the Met Office. For 9 February, an amber wind warning for much of England was issued, with the rest of the United Kingdom remaining under a yellow wind warning. The agency forecasted wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph (80 to 97 km/h) across the country, with the possibility of gusts up to 80 mph (130 km/h) along coastal regions.[6][7]

On 9 February, heavy rainfall from Ciara caused severe disruption across the British Isles. As a result, the Environment Agency issued 186 flood alerts, 251 flood warnings and 1 severe flood warning in England.[8] The severe warning, which was later withdrawn, was issued for the River Nidd at Pateley Bridge where a water level of 5.1 m (17 ft) was expected to pose a "danger to life" and overtop flood defences. In the United Kingdom as a whole, around 539,000 people were also left without power due to the storm.[9]

High winds created by Storm Ciara over the United Kingdom and the North Atlantic meant that a British Airways Boeing 747-400 broke the record for the fastest subsonic flight between John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City and London Heathrow. The aircraft was propelled by a strong tailwind and the jet stream across the Atlantic, completing the journey in 4 hours and 56 minutes. During the flight, the aircraft hit a maximum speed of 1,328 km/h (825 mph) and arrived over two hours ahead of schedule.[10] Alongside two Virgin Atlantic flights which arrived around the same time, it surpassed the previous world record of 5 hours and 13 minutes, set by a Norwegian flight in January 2018.[11][12]

Ireland

On 6 February, Met Éireann issued a country-wide yellow wind and rain warning for 8 and 9 February, forecasting average wind speeds between 50 to 65 km/h (31 to 40 mph), gusts up to 110 km/h (68 mph) and rainfall of up to 40 mm (1.6 in). Orange wind warnings were additionally issued for the counties of Galway, Mayo and Donegal on 7 February.[13][14] A country-wide yellow wind warning was also issued, in effect from 9 to 10 February, as well as a country-wide yellow snow and ice warning for 10 to 11 February.[15]

France

In preparation for the Ciara storm, 42 French Departments have been placed in orange alert[16].[17]

Germany

On 7 February, the Deutscher Wetterdienst formally named the storm Sabine in Germany.[18]

On 9 February, wind speeds exceeded 140 km/h (87 mph) in the Harz mountain range, and 120 km/h (75 mph) in Kiel.[19] On the same day, around 150 flights to and from Frankfurt Airport were cancelled, according to its operator Fraport.[20] Flights to and from Munich, Cologne, Hannover, Berlin, Düsseldorf and Bremen were also affected.[21] The Bundesliga football match between 1. FC Köln and Borussia Mönchengladbach scheduled to take place was postponed due to the storm.[22]

In preparation for the storm's impacts on 10 February, a further 130 flights scheduled for this day were also cancelled.[20] Lufthansa stated that it would cancel short-haul and long-haul flights until 12:00 GMT and 13:00 GMT, respectively.[20][23]

Netherlands

On 7 February, the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) issued a country-wide yellow wind warning, forecasting wind gusts of up to 120 km/h (75 mph).[24]

Sweden

Govik harbor, Lysekil Municipality, Sweden, during Storm Ciara. Wind had pushed water into Brofjorden, causing water level to rise to about 70 cm (28 in) above average.[25]

On 9 February, winds of around 25 m/s (56 mph) were recorded on the west coast of Sweden. The previous day, several class-2-warnings had been issued by the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. Rail services in the west and south of the country were cancelled due to a risk of track obstruction. Multiple ferries between the mainland and Gotland were cancelled, Uddevalla Bridge was closed and warnings were issued for Öland Bridge and Øresund Bridge. The wind also caused water levels to fluctuate significantly, with above average levels recorded in Bothnian Sea and Bothnian Bay and below normal in the south Baltic Sea.[26]

References

Notes

  1. ^ In this case, Ciara is pronounced Kee-ra according to official Met Éireann guidance issued at the time the naming list was announced, although there are multiple alternative pronunciations of the name Ciara.

Citations

  1. ^ "Storm Ciara: Floods and travel disruption as UK hit by severe gales". BBC News. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ "Storm Ciara causes power outages and flooding". RTÉ News. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "WARNLAGEBERICHT für Deutschland". dwd.de. Deutschen Wetterdienst. Archived from the original on 8 February 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ Judson Jones (5 February 2020). "Winter weather alerts stretch over 2,300 miles from New Mexico to Maine". edition.cnn.com. CNN. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  5. ^ "National Weather Service Text Product Display". web.archive.org. 2020-02-09. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  6. ^ "Storm Ciara triggers amber wind warning". metoffice.gov.uk. Met Office. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  7. ^ "UK weather warnings – Met Office". Met Office. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020. {{cite web}}: Check |archive-url= value (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "Flood warnings for England". gov.uk. 9 February 2020. Archived from the original on 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  9. ^ "Storm Ciara: Floods and travel disruption as UK hit by severe gales". BBC News. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ Sullivan, Rory. "British Airways smashes record for quickest subsonic flight from New York to London". CNN. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  11. ^ "Plane records fastest ever Atlantic flight, as airlines battle for speed record amid Storm Ciara winds". The Independent. 2020-02-09. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  12. ^ "Storm helps plane beat transatlantic flight record". BBC News. 2020-02-09. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  13. ^ "Meteorologist's Commentary". met.ie. Met Éireann. Archived from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  14. ^ "Warnings". met.ie. Met Éireann. Archived from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  15. ^ "Warnings – Met Éireann". Met Éireann. 9 February 2020. Archived from the original on 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  16. ^ "Alerte orange", see Météo France alarm system [fr].
  17. ^ "Nuit très agitée en prévision sur le nord de la France, soumis à la tempête Ciara". Le Monde (in French). 9 February 2019..
  18. ^ "Germany braces for violent storms and extreme winds". The Local. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ "Storm Sabine: Serious weather shuts down air traffic across Europe". Deutsche-Welle. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ a b c "Storm Sabine hits Frankfurt airport, train travel". Reuters. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ "Travel disruption in Northern Europe as Storm Ciara sweeps in". Euronews. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ^ "Gladbach-Cologne Bundesliga clash postponed due to extreme weather". ESPN. 8 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ "Flight schedule disruptions in the Lufthansa Group due to winter storm "Sabine "". Lufthansa. 9 February 2020. Archived from the original on 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  24. ^ "Waarschuwingen". knmi.nl (in Dutch). Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut. Archived from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  25. ^ "Vattenstånd och vågor" [Water level and waves]. www.smhi.se. Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  26. ^ Larsson, Simon; Möller Berg, Amanda. "Superstormen Ciara slår hårt mot Sverige". www.expressen.se. Expressen. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
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