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Storm Arwen
Storm Arwen as a powerful extratropical cyclone over the North Sea.
Area affectedUK, Ireland, France
Date of impact25–27 November 2021
Maximum wind gust177 km/h (110 mph; 96 kn) in Settle, North Yorkshire, England[1]
Fatalities3
Power outages225,000[citation needed]
DamageCollapsed buildings and overturned lorries, loss of power in UK and France

Storm Arwen was a powerful extratropical cyclone that was part of the 2021–22 European windstorm season. It affected the United Kingdom, Ireland and France, bringing strong winds and snow. Storm Arwen caused at least three fatalities and widespread power outages. Damage was exacerbated by the fact that the strong winds came unusually from the north.

Meteorological history

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Storm Arwen was named by the Met Office on 25 November 2021.[2][3] Red warnings for wind were issued for north-eastern parts of the UK, as well as extensive amber and yellow warnings for much of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and most of England. Dangerous waves were also forecasted causing disruption to ferry services.[4] At 17:00 UTC on 26 November, Network Rail closed the rail lines north of Berwick-upon-Tweed and LNER stopped running trains north of Newcastle.[5] More than 120 lorries were stuck in heavy snow on the M62 in Greater Manchester, with the motorway shut by police while ploughs and gritters led the rescue effort.[6] The storm closed the entire Tyne and Wear Metro network which said in a statement "this is the worst winter storm to hit the Metro in 41 years of operations".[citation needed]

Impacts

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Ireland

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On 26 and 27 November the north and northwestern coasts of Ireland were subjected to gale-force winds, which moved into the Irish Sea as the storm moved south-eastwards.[7]

United Kingdom

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Tree blown over and uprooted on phone line

Storm Arwen was named by the Met Office on 25 November 2021.[8][9] On 26 November 2021, the UK Met Office, issued what they described as a "rare red weather warning" due to a deep pressure moving southwards from the Atlantic Ocean. This forecast was of extreme wind and waves on the eastern coast of Scotland at Aberdeenshire, all the way down to the Tees Estuary in England.[10] Red warnings for wind were issued for north-eastern parts of the UK, as well as extensive orange and yellow warnings for much of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and most of England. Dangerous waves were also forecast to cause disruption to ferry services.[11]

The damage caused by the storm was compounded by the fact that "sustained winds with gusts in excess of 90 mph were, unusually, from the north-east, affecting trees that do not normally have to yield to those winds."[12][13]

112,000 homes were without power in the north of England (mostly in Northumberland, County Durham and Tyne & Wear), 80,000 were without power in Scotland (Aberdeenshire, Angus, Perthshire and the Moray Coast), and 13,000 homes in Wales lost power too.[14] On 30 November, 45,000 UK consumers were still without power, according to the Energy Networks Association (ENA),[15] and network operators were required to pay £44 million in compensation.[16] Many people went without power for a week, relying on local establishments for food and other amenities. Northern Powergrid stated Arwen was the largest storm to impact their network since 2005,[17] with large sections of overhead lines needing to be rebuilt.[18] Many thousands of homes were still without power a week after the storm,[19] and it was not until 7 December that power was fully restored.[20]

It was estimated that around eight million trees in Scotland were damaged or affected by the storm. It is predicted that many forests will take decades to return to their former size. [21]

Dozens of crashes were reported by police agencies across the UK, many roads were closed due to fallen trees, snow or ice. More than 120 lorries were stuck in heavy snow on the M62 in Greater Manchester, with the motorway shut by police while ploughs and gritters led the rescue effort.[22] At 5pm GMT on 26 November, Network Rail closed the rail lines north of Berwick-upon-Tweed and LNER stopped running trains north of Newcastle.[23]

A man in the Northern Irish town of Antrim died when a falling tree hit his car.[24] Another man was hit and killed by a falling tree in Cumbria,[25] and a third man died after his pick-up truck was struck by a falling tree in Aberdeenshire.[26]

The live broadcasts and filming of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! on 26, 27, 28 and 29 November at Gwrych Castle in North Wales were affected as a result of the storm.[27] Wind speeds reached up to 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) which caused waves in Scotland of over 10 metres (33 ft) in height.

Beamish Museum in County Durham was closed due to debris.[28]

Elsewhere

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The storm was expected to move elsewhere in Northern Europe from 28 November onwards.[29]

Highest wind gust per country

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Country Gust Location
 United Kingdom 177 km/h Settle
 Ireland 165 km/h Hook Lighthouse
 France 132 km/h Saint-Pierre-Église
 Belgium 102 km/h Westende

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Port, Samuel (27 November 2021). "Shack in Yorkshire hills records 110mph winds as Storm Arwen rages". YorkshireLive. Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  2. ^ @metoffice (25 November 2021). "#StormArwen has been named and is forecast to bring a period of very strong winds and cold weather to the UK from F..." (Tweet). Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ "Wind warning as North East braces for Storm Arwen". BBC News. 25 November 2021. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Storm Arwen: Met office warns of 75mph winds and snow". The Guardian. 25 November 2021. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Storm Arwen: LNER cancels trains as high winds lashes UK". BBC News. 26 November 2021. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  6. ^ Bazaraa, Danya; Kitching, Chris; Merrifield, Ryan; Coles, Jonathan (27 November 2021). "Storm Arwen updates as two killed in 100mph gales and power cuts hit across UK". mirror. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  7. ^ "Storm Arwen: Man dies after car hit by falling tree". RTE. 27 November 2021. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  8. ^ "Storm Arwen was named and was forecast to bring a period of very strong winds and cold weather to the UK from Friday into Saturday". Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Wind warning as North East braces for Storm Arwen". BBC News. 25 November 2021. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  10. ^ "Rare red weather warning issued for Storm Arwen". Met Office. 26 November 2021. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  11. ^ "Storm Arwen: Met office warns of 75mph winds and snow". The Guardian. 25 November 2021. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  12. ^ Graham, August (7 December 2021). "Storm Arwen power cuts 'made worse by wind from unusual direction'". www.standard.co.uk.
  13. ^ "Hansard in Parliament".
  14. ^ Chao-Fong, Léonie (27 November 2021). "Storm Arwen: three people killed after winds of almost 100mph hit UK". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  15. ^ "Storm Arwen: Thousands left 'exhausted' as they endure fifth day without power". Sky News. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  16. ^ Lempriere, Molly (9 June 2022). "Ofgem and BEIS find DNO's provided 'unacceptable service' during Storm Arwen". Current+.
  17. ^ "Keeping You Informed". northernpowergrid.custhelp.com. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  18. ^ "News - Northern Powergrid Response to storm Arwen". www.northernpowergrid.com. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  19. ^ "Storm Arwen: Snow, rain, and wind set to hit homes still without power". BBC News. 5 December 2021.
  20. ^ "Relief as electricity restored after 10 days following Storm Arwen". Independent.co.uk. 7 December 2021. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022.
  21. ^ "Forests will take 'decades to recover' after Storm Arwen damages 8 million trees". The Independent. 14 December 2021. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022.
  22. ^ "Storm Arwen: Heavy snow traps 120 HGV drivers on M62". BBC News. 27 November 2021. Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  23. ^ "Storm Arwen: LNER cancels trains as high winds lashes UK". BBC News. 26 November 2021. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  24. ^ "Storm Arwen: Man dies as high winds strike NI". BBC News. 26 November 2021. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  25. ^ "Storm Arwen: Man killed and thousands lose power". BBC News. 27 November 2021. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  26. ^ "Storm Arwen: Third person dies as gale-force winds hit UK". BBC News. 27 November 2021. Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  27. ^ "I'm A Celebrity axes tonight's live show due to Storm Arwen". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  28. ^ "The tourist attractions staying shut after being battered by severe storms". uk.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  29. ^ Witherow, John, ed. (27 November 2021). "Roads and rail hit as Met issues red alert". The Times. No. 73640. p. 25. ISSN 0140-0460.
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