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Cyclone Xaver

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Cyclone Bodil
Flood in Hamburg
TypeEuropean windstorm, extratropical cyclone, winter storm
Formed4 December 2013
DissipatedCurrently active
Highest winds
Highest gust142 miles per hour (229 km/h), Aonach Mor, Scotland[1]
Lowest pressureEst. 960 mb (28 inHg)
Fatalities7 (2 missing)
Areas affectedUnited Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Isle of Man, Belgium, Slovakia

Cyclone Bodil (SMHI: Sven, FU-Berlin: Xaver)[2][3] is a winter storm that is currently affecting northwestern Europe. Force 12 winds and heavy snowfall are predicted along the storm's path, warnings of a significant risk of storm surge leading to coastal flooding along the coasts of the North and Irish Seas have also been announced.

Names

Bodil was named by the Danish Meteorological Institute following a decision that the institute would name storms affecting Denmark following the St. Jude storm, which had retroactively been given the name Allen.[4] The Free University of Berlin gave the low the name Xaver, which had been previously given to the Berit storm of 2011. In Poland, the storm is named Ksawery, which is the Polish equivalent of Xaver.[5] The Swedish Meteorological Institute gave the storm the name Sven, after the name day of 5 December.[4] In the Netherlands the storm was known as the "Sinterklaasstorm", as December the 5 is traditionally celebrated as St. Nicholas Eve in the country.[6] Twitter users in the UK were using the hashtags #scotstorm, #Xaver and #UKstorm. the European Windstorm Centre, a UK-based forecaster gave the storm the name Cameron.[7]

Forecast

The low pressure system formed on December 4 off the west coast of Iceland and is expected to deepen explosively overnight. The UK Met Office issued an amber warning over Scotland and northern parts of England, where wind gusts may reach 90 miles per hour (145 km/h).[8] On 4 December the Environment Agency released a warning to communities along the East Coast of England to prepare for the most serious tidal surge in 30 years, with a significant threat of coastal flooding between 5–7 December.[9]

In the Netherlands, the provinces of Friesland, Groningen and North Holland were placed on Red Alert. Winds of Force 9 – 11 were forecast. The IJsselmeer and Waddenzee areas were also covered by the Code Red alert.[10]

Force 12 gusts are expected in Denmark.[11] In Sweden, the local meteorological institute has given a level 2 warning for central parts of the country due to heavy snowfall and formation of snow drifts.[12]

An extreme weather warning has been given to coastal areas of northwestern Germany due to 85 miles per hour (137 km/h) wind gusts.[13] Meteorologists in Germany likened the storm's development to that seen during the North Sea flood of 1962 in which 340 people lost their lives in Hamburg, saying that improvements in sea defences since that time would withstand this storm surge.[14]

Preparation

The oil platform Buchan Alpha, northeast of Aberdeen has been evacuated due to the upcoming storm.[15] East Coast trains announced Thursday 4 December that they expected to run a revised timetable the next day due to the storm.[16] Scotrail planned to not run trains before 7:00 am on 5 December and expected around 20 routes to be closed, with Network Rail advising passengers to expect delays in Scotland and northern and eastern England.[17] In Leeds roads surrounding the Bridgewater Place tower were set to be closed following a coroners ruling that the surrounding roads should be closed when wind gusts reach 45 miles per hour (72 km/h), following the death of a man after a truck was blown over by freak winds in 2011.[18] People living in Great Yarmouth were told to prepare to evacuate in case the River Yare flooded as a result of the storm.[19] In London, the Thames Flood Barrier was closed to protect the capital from surges along the River Thames.[20]

Impact

Transport

Rail

In Scotland, at 8 a.m. on 5 December Glasgow Central Station was evacuated after the glass roof was broken by flying debris. Scotrail later cancelled all services in Scotland due to debris including "trampolines, hay bales and trees" falling on the train lines.[1] Rail Net Denmark announced that all rail transport would come to a halt for the afternoon of 5 December.[21] This is the first time all trains in the country have been cancelled.

Road

Friarton Bridge, Perth, Scotland was closed due to an overturned lorry as a result of the storm.[1] The Redheugh Bridge between Newcastle and Gateshead was also closed due to an overturned lorry, leaving the route closed and traffic diverted.[22] Elsewhere, the Ouse Bridge which carries the M62 motorway over the river Ouse was closed in both directions following a lorry overturning in the high winds.[23] In Stavanger, Norway, on the evening of the 5th of december 2013 road traffic and pedestrians were not allowed to the city centre due to the risk of house elements being blown down.

Sea

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company cancelled ferries to and from Douglas due to winds forecast to reach Force 9.[24] in Stavanger, Norway several local ferry services were cancelled.

Air

Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports were affected by the storm. In Norway, Stavanger Airport was closed to inbound and outbound flights by the storm winds.[25] Flights to and from Denmark were cancelled, with Billund Airport, Aalborg Airport and Copenhagen Airport all closed. Stavanger's major helocopter hub was closed and all the crafts grounded, pausing in service for North Sea oil platforms.

Energy disruption

20,000 houses lost power in Scotland.[26] In Northern Ireland, 6,500 houses lost power.[27]

Storm surge

Irish Sea

In the Irish sea flooding was most severe along the north coast of Wales and west coast of England, as winds drove the sea towards the southwest corner of the sea. On Thursday, hundreds of people were evacuated from Rhyl, Denbighshire when high tides caused flooding in several streets.[28] Flooding in New Brighton, Merseyside, left cars and businesses flooded at Marine Point and Kings Parade, with police warning the public to keep away from the promenade and Vale Park.[29] In Whitehaven, Cumbria the 400-year-old stone built Old Quay dating from 1634 was damaged.[30]

Scottish west coast

On the Scottish west coast the main street and esplanade of Oban were flooded.[31]

North Sea

On entering the North Sea, the storm surge propagated with the tide down the east coast of Scotland and England from north to south, then continued anticlockwise around the southern North Sea coast to the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark.[32]

The surge caused the river Tyne in Newcastle to breach its banks, with reports of the Tees also flooding.

Floods in Whitby saw an electrical substation in the town reportedly exploding.[33] With Scarborough and Bridlington also seeing flooding along the sea front.

Around the Humber estuary, Spurn Point nature reserve was closed in anticipation of the surge arrival. In Cleethorpes high water brought limited flooding along the promenade, though to the south of the resort the low-lying Humberston Fitties reported some flooding. In Grimsby water overwhelmed the dock gates,[34] and Environment Agency flood warning sirens were sounded throughout the town. As the water was funnelled up the Humber estuary the surge level increased. Humberside Police declared a state of emergency as the river Humber reached a record height of 5.8m in the city of Hull.[35] To the east of the city the village of Paull flooded. Within Hull city the Hull Tidal Barrier was lowered, protecting large areas of the city, however some flooding occurred in the city centre, Victoria Docks, and Hessle foreshore of homes and business properties. The A63 road through the city was closed until midday 6 December due to water covering the carriageway. Humberside Police released aerial footage from further up the Humber showing the large extent of flooding across North Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire, along the river Trent and Ouse.[36]

South along the Lincolnshire coast flooding and damage were less severe, likely due to the lessening winds which were blowing offshore. Mablethorpe reported debris, and in Skegness some damage to coastal kiosks occurred,[37] south of the town to the visitor's centre at Gibraltar Point nature reserve was damaged by the surge.[38]

In the Netherlands, the water reached the highest level since the North Sea Flood of 1953 at 3.99m above normal sea level. In 1953, the water rose to 4.55m on the night of 1 February, and dikes broke on at least 90 places resulting in the worst natural disaster in the Netherlands in the 1900s. The Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier closed all its 62 locks on Thursday night and several areas around Rotterdam experienced some flooding.[39]

Casualties

Denmark

In Lemvig, Jylland an elderly woman died after her car was blown off the road. A police vehicle which randomly passed by found the car in the carriageway.[40] A three-year-old girl was hit by a door in the head - to be updated.

Poland

Three people died when wind blown a tree over a car. One person died when a bus crashed into a tree.[41]

United Kingdom

In Bathgate, West Lothian a man died after his lorry was blown on top of two cars.[26] In Retford, Nottinghamshire a man died in a park when a tree was blown over.[42]

Germany

One Person, a 82-Year old woman died in a car crash.

Austria

One Person died in a Bus crash

Aftermath

The BBC addressed criticism after it suspended the regular evening news to cover the death of Nelson Mandela, while communities along the coast were still preparing for flooding.[43]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Storm with gales of up to 142mph batter Scotland causing disruption". STV. 4 December 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  2. ^ http://www.smhi.se/en/Weather
  3. ^ http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/6927/jlpt.png
  4. ^ a b Brandt, Anders (4 December 2013). "Bodil, Sven, Xaver, Bud - kær storm har mange navne". TV2 (in Danish). Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  5. ^ Gazeta.pl
  6. ^ "Hulpdiensten op scherp voor storm". De Telegraaf. 4 December 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  7. ^ https://sites.google.com/site/europeanwindstormcenter/
  8. ^ "High wind warning for Scotland upgraded by Met Office". BBC. 4 December 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  9. ^ "Communities urged to prepare for worst east coast tidal surge in 30 years". Environment Agency. 4 December 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  10. ^ "Code rood voor storm" (in Dutch). De Telegraaf. Retrieved 5 December 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Varsler: DMI". DMI. 4 December 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  12. ^ "SMHI varningar". SMHI. 4 December 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  13. ^ "Deutscher Wetterdienst - warnings". Deutscher Wetterdienst. 4 December 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  14. ^ "Gale-Force Winds: Germans Brace for Major Winter Storm". Der Spiegel. 4 December 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  15. ^ "Workers off Talisman Sinopec oil platform Buchan Alpha over bad weather forecast". BBC. 4 December 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  16. ^ Clapham, Lucy (4 December 2013). "Risk of flooding along Norfolk coast and severe weather warnings issued across the east as winds of up to 80mph set to batter region". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  17. ^ "Wind and coastal flood warning for Scotland and England". BBC News. 4 December 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  18. ^ "Roads around Bridgewater Place to be closed due to wind". BBC News. 4 December 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  19. ^ "People in Great Yarmouth have been warned to be prepared to evacuate their homes". Eastern Daily Press. 4 December 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  20. ^ "UK storm 'to bring flooding and strong winds'". BBC News. 4 December 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  21. ^ Ertman, Berit (5 December 2013). "Banedanmark lukker for al togdrift". Jyllands Posten (in Danish). Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  22. ^ Lawson, Ruth (5 December 2013). "Watch: Redheugh Bridge closed after lorry blown over". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  23. ^ "WEATHER UPDATES: M62 west of Hull closed after lorry crashes on Ouse Bridge". Hull Daily Mail. 5 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  24. ^ "Severe gales cancel Isle of Man ferry sailings". BBC News Online. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  25. ^ "Storm cancels flights, ferries". Newsinenglish.no. 5 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  26. ^ a b "Gales hit UK: 20,000 without power in Scotland". ITV. 4 December 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  27. ^ "Strong winds leave 6,500 customers without power says NIE". BBC. 4 December 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  28. ^ "North Wales coast escapes fresh flooding overnight". BBC. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  29. ^ "Flooding in New Brighton leaves cars and shops under water". BBC News. 5 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  30. ^ "400-year-old sea wall the biggest west Cumbrian storm casualty". ITV. 5 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  31. ^ "Winds batter West Highlands and islands". The Oban Times. 5 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  32. ^ "Case Studies: Floods and Flooding". Met Office. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  33. ^ "Reports of sub station explosion in Whitby". ITV Calendar. 5 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  34. ^ "PHOTOS: Sea water breaks defences on Humberside". ITV Calendar. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  35. ^ "Tides hit record levels in Hull". ITV Calendar. 5 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  36. ^ "Hull and north Lincolnshire floods clean-up begins". BBC News. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  37. ^ "Fire crew attend Skegness Pier flooding". Skegness Standard. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  38. ^ "Gibraltar Point Visitor Centre inundated by tidal surge". Skegness Standard. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  39. ^ "Deadly storm and tidal surge batter northern Europe". BBC. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  40. ^ "Bil væltede: Kvinde har mistet livet under stormen".
  41. ^ "Huragan nad Polską - 4 ofiary, brak prądu, utrudnienia w ruchu". 6 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  42. ^ "Nottinghamshire man killed by falling park tree". BBC. 5 December 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  43. ^ "Newswatch 6/12/2013". BBC Newswatch. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Xaver (storm).
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cyclone_Xaver&oldid=584895862"