Cyclone Klaus
| Klaus | ||
|---|---|---|
 Klaus at 03:28 on 24 January over the Bay of Biscay. | ||
| Data | ||
| Formed: | January 23, 2009 | |
| Dissipated: | January 28, 2009 | |
| Highest winds: | 180 km/h (113 mph)[1] | |
| Lowest pressure: | 980 mbar (hPa) | |
| Countries affected | ||
 Andorra
|
 France
|
 Germany
|
 Italy
|
 Spain
|
|
| Effects | ||
| Fatalities: | 26[2] | |
| Damages: | Unknown | |
The January 2009 Bay of Biscay storm, known as Klaus[3] was a European windstorm or cyclone which made landfall over large parts of central and southern France, northern Spain, Andorra and parts of Italy. The storm was the most damaging since Lothar in December 1999[4]. The storm caused widespread damage across France and Spain, especially in northern Spain.
The storm caused twenty-seven fatalities[2], as well as extensive disruptions to public transport and power supplies, with more than a million households losing electricity in southwestern France. Severe damage to property and major forest damage was caused[1]. Peak gusts were 180 km/h; sustained winds of over 170 km/h (110 mph) were observed.
Casualties
In Spain, parts of a sports center collapsed in Sant Boi de Llobregat, 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) south west of Barcelona, killing four children and injuring 16. In Burela, Galicia, a policeman was killed by a falling tree as he was directing traffic. In La Palma de Cervelló, Province of Barcelona, a road worker was killed by a falling tree. A woman died when a wall collapsed in Barcelona. A man was also killed by a collapsed wall in Aigües de Busot, in Alicante. A woman was killed after being hit by debris.
A Portuguese captain died after being rescued in the northwestern port city of A Coruña, Galicia. A man died after falling from a roof due to the heavy wind[5].
France
A man was killed by a falling tree while driving near Mont-de-Marsan. A 78-year-old man died when he was hit by flying debris near his home and a 75-year-old man was found hit by a tree[6] A woman died in the hospital in the département Landes after she has been found in her garden suffering of hypothermia.[7]. In the Gironde département, a 70 year old woman died when her breathing machine failed because of the power outage. Two elderly persons were killed in Nanteuil-Auriac-de-Bourzac, Dordogne, by carbon monoxide intoxication[8] which also killed two people in Port-Barcarès, Pyrénées-Orientales[9].
Location
The effects of the storm were felt from the Channel Islands south to Barcelona. The most damaging effects of the storm's rain and heavy winds were located in the south-west of France. The storm originated in the Bay of Biscay and tracked south-eastward through southern France during the evening of 24 January towards towards northern Italy and the Adriatic, where minimal damage was caused.
References
- ^ a b "Storm leaves 15 dead in S Europe". The BBC. 2009-01-25. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
- ^ a b http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iFx6G9AxzlMnJfrI_QNV_F3LeX_Q
- ^ "Adopt a Vortex!". Institut für Meteorologie, Free University of Berlin. Retrieved 2009-01-25. Shown on map
- ^ "France, Spain pick up pieces after deadly storm". Retrieved 2009-01-26.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Spain and France battered by deadly storm". Agence France-Presse. 2009-01-25. Archived from the original on 2009-01-28.
- ^ "Sud-ouest : reprise progressive du trafic SNCF" (in French). Le Parisien. 2009-01-26. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
- ^ "Tempête: au moins 600 millions d'euros de dégâts, selon les assurances" (in French). Associated Press. 2009-01-26. Archived from the original on 2009-01-27.
- ^ "Tempête Klaus: mobilisation face aux dégâts, désastre dans les forêts" (in French). Le Point. 2009-01-25. Archived from the original on 2009-01-28.
External links
