The 2017–2018 European windstorm season was the third instance of seasonal
European windstorm
European windstorms are powerful extratropical cyclones which form as cyclonic windstorms associated with areas of low atmospheric pressure. They can occur throughout the year, but are most frequent between October and March, with peak intensit ...
naming. France, Spain and Portugal took part in winter storm naming for the first time this season.
The season started on 12 September 2017 with the formation of Storm Aileen. It was subsequently marked by many high-impact storms which caused severe loss of life and widespread damage, including
Ophelia
Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama ''Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet, who, due to Hamlet's actions, ends up in ...
,
Eleanor
Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages.
The name was introd ...
,
David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
and
Emma. The season concluded on 17 June 2018 with the dissipation of off-season Storm Hector.
Background and naming
In 2015, the Met Office and Met Éireann announced a pilot project to name storm warnings as part of the ''Name our Storms'' project for wind storms and asked the public for suggestions. The meteorological offices produced a full list of names for 2015–16 and 2016–17, common to both the UK and Ireland. A new list of names was released on 6 September 2017 for the 2017–18 season. Names in the UK will be based on the
National Severe Weather Warning Service
The National Severe Weather Warning Service (shortened to NSWWS) is a service provided by the Met Office in the United Kingdom. The purpose of this service is to warn the public and emergency responders of severe or hazardous weather which has ...
, when a storm is assessed to have the potential for an Amber 'be prepared' or Red 'take action (danger to life)' warning.
A storm will be named when it is deemed able to have a "substantial" impact on the UK or Ireland. They will be taken from the list, in alphabetical order, alternating between male and female names – the same naming convention that is used by the United States for tropical cyclones. In the case of storms resulting from ex-
tropical storms
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Dependi ...
and
hurricanes
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
, the original name allocated by the
US National Hurricane Center will be used, an example of which during this season being
Ophelia
Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama ''Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet, who, due to Hamlet's actions, ends up in ...
. Met Éireann name any storm which triggers a status Orange or Red weather warning for wind. The basis for such, as outlined on their weather warning service, are mean wind speeds in excess of or gusts over . Similarly, the Met Office name storms that have the potential to cause medium (Amber) or high (Red) impacts to the UK. It describes the wind strength relative to observations such as "falling trees or tiles, other items like garden furniture being blown around and even a number of properties left without electrical power."
On 1 December 2017, the national meteorological services of Spain (
Aemet
The State Meteorological Agency (, AEMET) is a state agency of the Government of Spain responsible for providing weather forecast, warnings of hazardous weather and assisting the administrations in such matters. The AEMET is part of the Secretaria ...
), France (
Météo-France
Météo-France is the French national meteorological service.
Organisation
The organisation was established by decree in June 1993 and is a department of the Ministry of Transportation. It is headquartered in Paris but many domestic operatio ...
) and Portugal (
IPMA) announced that they would begin naming storms affecting their nations in co-ordination, under the auspices of
EUMETNET
EUMETNET (acronym of ''European Meteorological Network'') is a network of 31 European National Meteorological Services based in Brussels, Belgium. It exists to provide a framework to organise co-operative programmes between the members in fields ...
.
United Kingdom and Ireland
The Met Office's and Met Éireann's announcement of the season's names also noted that Fionn is to be pronounced ''Fyunn'', Niall is to be pronounced ''Nye-ul'' and Tali is to be pronounced ''Tarly''.
France, Spain and Portugal
Other naming systems
One former
Atlantic hurricane
An Atlantic hurricane, also known as tropical storm or simply hurricane, is a tropical cyclone that forms in the Atlantic Ocean, primarily between the months of June and November. A hurricane differs from a cyclone or typhoon only on the basis of ...
transitioned into a
European windstorm
European windstorms are powerful extratropical cyclones which form as cyclonic windstorms associated with areas of low atmospheric pressure. They can occur throughout the year, but are most frequent between October and March, with peak intensit ...
and retained its name as assigned by the
National Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 3 ...
in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
:
Another internationally recognised, but unofficial, naming system for European windstorms is the ''Adopt a Vortex'' program of the
Free University of Berlin
The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public research university in Berlin, Germany. It is consistently ranked among Germany's best universities, with particular strengths in political science and t ...
. Participants can ask the FUB to give their names, for example as a birthday present, to high or low pressure systems that affect European weather. The naming service of the FUB is commercial and is the main meteorological naming system in Germany. The names
Xavier and
Herwart were given by the FUB to major storms this season. Its naming program is recognised in some other European countries, although the British-Irish and the French-Spanish-Portuguese naming co-operations are gaining importance. Furthermore, besides of the three internationally recognised naming systems (the two European co-operations and the FUB system), many European countries (Norway, Finland, Denmark etc.) give their own names to cyclones. One of the 16 storms of the season was not named by the three main naming systems: instead it was called ''Cora'' in Norway and ''Aku'' in Finland.
Season summary
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from:12/09/2017 till:18/09/2017 color:4 text:"Aileen
Aileen is a feminine given name. Its common used in Ireland. It comes from the Turkish name Aylin, which means "Halo of the moon". Notable people with the name include:
* Aileen Adams (born 1923), British consultant anaesthetist
*Aileen Allen (1 ...
"
from:16/10/2017 till:20/10/2017 color:6 text:"Ophelia
Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama ''Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet, who, due to Hamlet's actions, ends up in ...
"
from:19/10/2017 till:23/10/2017 color:4 text:"Brian
Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world.
It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word me ...
"
from:06/12/2017 till:11/12/2017 color:4 text:" Caroline"
from:10/12/2017 till:16/12/2017 color:5 text:" Ana"
from:26/12/2017 till:30/12/2017 color:5 text:"Bruno
Bruno may refer to:
People and fictional characters
*Bruno (name), including lists of people and fictional characters with either the given name or surname
* Bruno, Duke of Saxony (died 880)
* Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne, ...
"
from:30/12/2017 till:03/01/2018 color:4 text:" Dylan"
barset:break
from:31/12/2017 till:03/01/2018 color:5 text:"Carmen
''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...
"
from:02/01/2018 till:05/01/2018 color:4 text:"Eleanor
Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages.
The name was introd ...
"
from:14/01/2018 till:21/01/2018 color:4 text:" Fionn"
from:17/01/2018 till:21/01/2018 color:5 text:"David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
"
from:23/01/2018 till:27/01/2018 color:4 text:"Georgina Georgina may refer to:
Names
*Georgina (name), a feminine given name
Places
Australia
* Georgina, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Boulia, Queensland
* Georgina Basin, a large sedimentary basin in Australia
* Georgina River, a river ...
"
from:26/02/2018 till:07/03/2018 color:5 text:" Emma"
from:09/03/2018 till:16/03/2018 color:5 text:"Felix
Felix may refer to:
* Felix (name), people and fictional characters with the name
Places
* Arabia Felix is the ancient Latin name of Yemen
* Felix, Spain, a municipality of the province Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, ...
"
barset:break
from:14/03/2018 till:18/03/2018 color:5 text:"Gisele Gisele or Gisèle may refer to:
Persons
* Gisele (given name)
* Gisele, mononym of Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen
See also
* Giselle (disambiguation)
{{Disambig ...
"
from:23/03/2018 till:29/03/2018 color:5 text:"Hugo
Hugo or HUGO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese
* Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback
* Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on ...
"
from:15/04/2018 till:25/04/2018 color:5 text:"Irene
Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace".
Irene, and related names, may refer to:
* Irene (given name)
Places
* Irene, Gauteng, South Africa
* Irene, South Dakota, United States
* Irene, Texas, United Stat ...
"
from:13/06/2018 till:17/06/2018 color:4 text:"Hector
In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...
"
barset:Hurricane width:10 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till
bar:Month width:5 align:center fontsize:S shift:(0,-20) anchor:middle color:canvas
from:01/09/2017 till:30/09/2017 text:September
from:01/10/2017 till:31/10/2017 text:October
from:01/11/2017 till:30/11/2017 text:November
from:01/12/2017 till:31/12/2017 text:December
from:01/01/2018 till:31/01/2018 text:January
from:01/02/2018 till:28/02/2018 text:February
from:01/03/2018 till:31/03/2018 text:March
from:01/04/2018 till:30/04/2018 text:April
from:01/05/2018 till:31/05/2018 text:May
from:01/06/2018 till:30/06/2018 text:June
from:01/07/2018 till:31/07/2018 text:July
from:01/08/2018 till:31/08/2018 text:August
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The 2017–18 UK and Ireland windstorm season began on September with storm Aileen, which brought strong winds to Scotland and Northern England on 13 September. Then followed
Ophelia
Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama ''Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet, who, due to Hamlet's actions, ends up in ...
which was once a Category 3 major hurricane and the easternmost major hurricane on record; a red (severe) wind warning was issued for many parts in Ireland. Less than a week later, storm Brian rapidly intensified from a trough of low pressure out in the Atlantic. After a rather quiet November without any named systems (like quiet Septembers and Octobers of the previous two years), Caroline and Dylan formed in December followed by Eleanor early in January 2018. In the middle of January, the extremely deep and large arctic low Fionn affected both the UK and Ireland and steered David, a smaller but more intense storm, on a westerly track over Ireland, the UK and Central Europe. The last storm in January was Georgina, a cyclone that mainly affected Ireland and Scotland.
A total of 10 storms affected both the UK and Ireland in that season. Three of these – Ophelia, David and Emma – were named by foreign agencies. Six storms were named by the new co-operation of the meteorological services of France, Spain and Portugal. Two of these – David and Emma – also affected Britain and Ireland significantly.
The impact of the deadly winter storm Emma was intensified by the collision with the
Beast from the East
''Beast from the East'' is a live album recorded by the American heavy metal band Dokken in Japan in April 1988, during tour in support of their album '' Back for the Attack''. It was released on November 16, 1988. The album features live vers ...
cold wave (anticyclone Hartmut). Cora, another significant windstorm, affected Scandinavia, Norway and Sweden in particular. Cora delivered the highest known gust of the European windstorm season. As a European total, 18 windstorms (one "off-season") affected the continent .
Storms
Storm Aileen
Aileen formed on 12 September, with the
Met Office
The Meteorological Office, abbreviated as the Met Office, is the United Kingdom's national weather service. It is an executive agency and trading fund of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and is led by CEO Penelope E ...
issuing an Amber wind warning, becoming the first named storm of the season. Aileen affected
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
,
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
,
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
,
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...
and
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
during the evening of 12 September and into the morning of 13 September with winds of over . Gusts up to around were also seen in exposed locations such as along coastlines and over high ground in these areas.
A Yellow weather warning for rain was also issued for parts of Northern Ireland, northern England and southern Scotland, as Aileen dropped of rain within 6–9 hours in these areas, causing some disruption from localised flooding.
The heaviest rainfall was recorded at
Bainbridge,
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...
, with falling overnight.
During Aileen, approximately 60,000 homes in Wales and almost 9,000 across England suffered power cuts.
The strongest gusts, of , were recorded at
The Needles
The Needles is a row of three stacks of chalk that rise about out of the sea off the western extremity of the Isle of Wight in the English Channel, United Kingdom, close to Alum Bay and Scratchell's Bay, and part of Totland, the westernmo ...
,
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
.
The strongest gust on mainland Britain, of , was recorded at
Mumbles
Mumbles ( cy, Mwmbwls) is a headland sited on the western edge of Swansea Bay on the southern coast of Wales.
Toponym
Mumbles has been noted for its unusual place name. The headland is thought by some to have been named by French sailors, ...
, Wales.
Aileen later crossed the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
and intensified, going on to affect
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, where it was known as ''
Cyclone Sebastian''.
Ex-Hurricane Ophelia
On 12 October, the Met Office issued yellow weather warnings relating to the extra-tropical remnants of the former
Hurricane Ophelia, estimated to affect the UK and Ireland on 16 October. Met Éireann issued an update on 12 October in response to media coverage about possible impacts which might occur in Ireland, highlighting the uncertainties still in the forecast modelling. Met Éireann asked people to keep up to date with changes in the forecast as the storm evolved and confidence in any likely impacts increased. On 14 October Met Éireann issued a red warning for the counties of
Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
,
Mayo Mayo often refers to:
* Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo"
* Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States
Mayo may also refer to:
Places
Antarctica
* Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land
Australia
* Division of Mayo, an Aust ...
,
Clare Clare may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land
Australia
* Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley
* Clare Valley, South Australia
Canada
* Clare (electoral district), an electoral district
* Cl ...
,
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
and
Kerry
Kerry or Kerri may refer to:
* Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name)
Places
* Kerry, Queensland, Australia
* County Kerry, Ireland
** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...
for 16–17 October, (extended to
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
,
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
and
Wexford
Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...
on 15 October) with an orange warning for the rest of the country. Red warnings were extended again on the evening of 15 October to the whole of Ireland. On 15 October the Met Office issued amber warnings for the six counties of
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
, and updated the yellow warnings in place for England, Wales and Scotland. The Met Office updated its amber warnings to include parts of west Wales, southwest Scotland and the
Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
on the morning of 16 October.
In
County Waterford
County Waterford ( ga, Contae Phort Láirge) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region. It is named ...
, a woman was killed when a tree fell on her car, caused by the winds from Ophelia's remnants. A man died near
Dundalk
Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...
, County Louth, after a tree struck his car.
A man was killed in
Cahir
Cahir (; ) is a town in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is also a civil parish in the barony of Iffa and Offa West.
Location and access
For much of the twentieth century, Cahir stood at an intersection of two busy national roadways: the Dublin ...
, County Tipperary, while trying to clear a fallen tree with a chainsaw.
Two more people were subsequently killed in Ireland from the combined effects of Ophelia and the subsequent Storm Brian.
Storm Brian
On 13 October, the US
National Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 3 ...
designated a tropical wave in the Atlantic Ocean to the east of the
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc betwe ...
as Invest 92L, giving the system a 40% chance of developing into a tropical cyclone. The NHC continued monitoring the system as it moved slowly north-west, bringing heavy rainfall and flooding to
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
and the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
and
US Virgin Islands
The United States Virgin Islands,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...
before turning to the north-east. However, on 16 October, the NHC discontinued monitoring the system as it passed
Bermuda
)
, anthem = "God Save the King"
, song_type = National song
, song = " Hail to Bermuda"
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, mapsize2 =
, map_caption2 =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name =
, e ...
without any considerable impact, having failed to transition into a tropical cyclone.
Subsequently, the area of low pressure began to
rapidly intensify as it accelerated eastward across the open Atlantic, developing into a powerful extratropical cyclone.
On 19 October, Met Éireann issued an orange wind warning for 21 October in counties Galway and Mayo, thus naming storm Brian. On 20 October Met Éireann extended orange warnings to the counties of Clare, Kerry, Waterford and Wexford.
The UK
Environment Agency
The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enha ...
warned that storm Brian could combine with high tides and lead to a heightened risk of flooding on the south coast of the UK.
Brian moved over
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
close to
Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
around 07:00 local time on 21 October.
A 67-year-old man drowned after being swept from the sea wall at
Dawlish
Dawlish is an English seaside resort town and civil parish in Teignbridge on the south coast of Devon, from the county town of Exeter and from the larger resort of Torquay. Its 2011 population of 11,312 was estimated at 13,355 in 2019. It is t ...
during the storm. Two more people were killed in Ireland from the combined effects of Brian and the prior Ex-Hurricane Ophelia.
Storm Caroline
The Met Office named storm Caroline on 5 December to affect Scotland on 7 December, with a yellow warning for wind, which was upgraded on 6 December to an amber warning for the Western Isles, Northern Isles and northern Scotland. Met Éireann issued a yellow warning for wind to the counties of Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare and Kerry.
Storm Ana
Storm Ana was the first storm to ever be officially named by
Météo-France
Météo-France is the French national meteorological service.
Organisation
The organisation was established by decree in June 1993 and is a department of the Ministry of Transportation. It is headquartered in Paris but many domestic operatio ...
,
Aemet
The State Meteorological Agency (, AEMET) is a state agency of the Government of Spain responsible for providing weather forecast, warnings of hazardous weather and assisting the administrations in such matters. The AEMET is part of the Secretaria ...
and
IPMA. It formed on 10 December as an area of low pressure that underwent explosive cyclogenesis to the northwest of Iberia passing through the Bay of Biscay into France on the morning of 11 December.
It then took a northeasterly direction to affect the Low Countries, Germany, Austria, Scandinavia and eventually Russia.
The highest gusts from Ana reached in the
Austrian Alps
The Central Eastern Alps (german: Zentralalpen or Zentrale Ostalpen), also referred to as Austrian Central Alps (german: Österreichische Zentralalpen) or just Central Alps, comprise the main chain of the Eastern Alps in Austria and the adjacent ...
, and its minimal pressure reached on the morning of 11 December. Severe flooding was reported in the
Emilia-Romagna
egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title ...
region of northern
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
on 12 December, caused by heavy rainfall from a trailing front from Ana and rapid snowmelt due to a large temperature rise caused by Ana's passage. Damage from flooding in Italy reached €105 million.
Storm Bruno
On 26 December 2017, wind warnings were issued in Spain for an area of low pressure that was expected to undergo
explosive cyclogenesis
Explosive cyclogenesis (also referred to as a weather bomb, meteorological bomb, explosive development, bomb cyclone, or bombogenesis) is the rapid deepening of an Extratropical cyclone, extratropical cyclonic low-pressure area. The change in pr ...
. Ultimately, Storm Bruno brought over of snow, wind gusts exceeding , and waves as high as to Spain. One fatality occurred after a man drowned while windsurfing in rough seas. Another fatality occurred after a man was swept off his balcony by high winds and onto his patio, where he immediately succumbed to his injuries.
Storm Dylan
Storm Dylan affected the UK on New Year's Eve. This was the sixth storm of the 2017/2018 winter, and was a fairly typical Atlantic Storm, with winds gusting at 58 mph around exposed coastlines.There were reports of fallen trees across Northern Ireland, fallen trees in the south-west of England and some travel disruption. Snow and ice caused some travel disruption over the Pennines too. Weathermen were required to know which way the wind blew as many were forced to take shelter from the storm. As typical for Storm Dylan, a hard rain did indeed fall, buckets of it in fact, with many caught blowing in the wind, though never quite becoming a hurricane.
Storm Carmen
Storm Carmen began as an area of low pressure in late December 2017. The storm went under some intensification before affecting France and other western European countries with strong winds. A man was killed by Carmen as a tree had fallen on his car during new year celebrations, and a wind turbine was blown over in the western Vendée region due to extreme winds.
Storm Eleanor
Named by Met Éireann on 1 January with Amber Wind Warning in force for 2 January. Forecast to bring gusts of into the evening. The Met Office also issued a Yellow Wind Warning for 2–3 January, only to upgrade it to an amber warning across Northern England and Southern Scotland 3 hours prior making landfall in the UK.
As Eleanor neared Ireland, it brought heavy rainfall and squally weather followed by very strong gusts of in Knock Airport in Republic of Ireland. As Eleanor tracked further North-east she continued to strengthen as a sting-jet like feature was evident, however, it did not form. Eleanor also produced thunderstorms and intense hail across England and Wales. The worst damage happened in Northern Ireland.
According to the UK Met Office, gusts reached in Orlock Head, while a mountain weather station in Great Dun Fell recorded gusts.
Storm Fionn
On 16 January Met Éireann issued orange marine weather warnings for wind to storm force from
Roches Point
Roche (F. Hoffmann–La Roche) is a Swiss healthcare company.
Roche may also refer to:
Companies
*Roche Diagnostics, a division of F. Hoffmann–La Roche
** Roche Applied Science, a business group of Roche Diagnostics
Places
France
* Roche, ...
to
Slyne Head to
Malin Head
Malin Head ( ga, Cionn Mhálanna) is the most northerly point of mainland Ireland, located in the townland of Ardmalin on the Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal. The head's northernmost point is called Dunalderagh at latitude 55.38ºN. It is ...
, along with orange national weather warnings for Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Cork and Kerry for 16–17 January, so naming storm Fionn. This system, also called Evi by the
FUB, was meteorologically speaking a very deep and large
Icelandic low
The Icelandic Low is a semi-permanent centre of low atmospheric pressure found between Iceland and southern Greenland and extending in the Northern Hemisphere winter into the Barents Sea. In the summer, it weakens and splits into two centres, one ...
that bottomed out at a central pressure of and dominated the weather in the North Atlantic and Northern Europe for several days in the middle of January 2018. This low had a large and intense wind field on its southern flank, fuelling a strong jetstream that steered the less deep but much more catastrophic
Cyclone David into the UK and Ireland and Central Europe on 18 January. After the arrival of David, Fionn weakened and David became the more dominant low, leading to the decay and dissipation of Fionn.
As Fionn neared Ireland, it brought heavy winds to Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Clare, Leitrim and Cork.
On 16 January the Met Office sent out a clarifying tweet that Fionn was only expected to bring strong winds to western Ireland, with impacts to the UK to be expected to be below their warning thresholds. In the tweet they pointed to a separate weather system to affect the UK on 17–18 January, later named David by MeteoFrance, this name was reciprocally adopted by the Met Office and Met Eireann. The low David was named Friederike by the Free University of Berlin, with the name Georgina at that time remaining unused.
Met Éireann's decision to name Fionn was met with some criticism from some meteorologists,
Liam Dutton tweeted that he thought the warning did not strictly accompany a cyclonic area of low pressure, but a "squeeze of isobars" circulating a low hundreds of kilometres (miles) distant in the region of the Faroes, stating that it "needed no more than a standard weather warning".
He highlighted the difference in criteria for naming storms employed by the Met Office and Met Éireann (the UK Met Office uses an impact-based criteria, based on the level of expected impacts the weather will bring, whereas the Irish Met Éireann uses fixed numerical criteria, meaning a storm will be named when mean wind speeds are likely to occur, between and/or gusts between ).
Evelyn Cusack of Met Éireann said that she understood Dutton's point, stating that his criticisms were well made.
She reiterated that the orange warning issued by Met Éireann fulfilled their criteria for naming the storm, producing severe winds,
coastal flooding
Coastal flooding normally occurs when dry and low-lying land is submerged by seawater. The range of a coastal flooding is a result of the elevation of floodwater that penetrates the inland which is controlled by the topography of the coastal land ...
and high waves on the Irish coast, even if the centre of circulation was distant.
Storm David/Friederike
Storm David (also named Friederike), affected an area of Europe from northern France and England, through the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and the Alps to Poland and the Czech Republic, starting on the evening of 17 January until 19 January. David brought heavy snowfall on its northern flank and high winds (sustained winds up to Bft. 11, widespread hurricane-force gusts) on its southern flank. In some locations, both the high winds and the snowfall occurred, creating
blizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow is not falling b ...
conditions.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol , known informally as Schiphol Airport ( nl, Luchthaven Schiphol, ), is the main international airport of the Netherlands. It is located southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer in the province ...
was closed, as well as some airports in Germany. European railroad companies (e.g. the
Deutsche Bahn
The (; abbreviated as DB or DB AG) is the national railway company of Germany. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). The Federal Republic of Germany is its single shareholder.
describes itself as the se ...
in Germany) could only offer very limited transportation services, if any. Road traffic was similarly disrupted by windthrow, snow, ice, high
crosswinds, and by traffic jams that were caused by incidents related to the storm. Widespread damage to manmade structures and to forests occurred. Germany was the worst-hit country as there were 10 known deaths as well as a damage total as high as several hundreds of millions. David/Friederike was the most devastating windstorm in Germany after
Cyclone Kyrill
Cyclone Kyrill was a low-pressure area that evolved into an unusually violent European windstorm, forming an extratropical cyclone with hurricane-strength winds. It formed over Newfoundland on 15 January 2007 and moved across the Atlantic Oce ...
in 2007. Coincidentally, Friederike and Kyrill both struck Central Europe on 18 January, albeit 11 years apart.
This storm, which proved to have catastrophic effects, originated from a low pressure trough in the Western Atlantic that stretched from the Southern Caribbean to Newfoundland on 14 January — 16. After gaining a closed circulation near or over Newfoundland on 16 January, the new cyclone entered the very strong southern wind field of the
Icelandic Low Fionn, crossing the Atlantic in less than two days and being steered into Europe. Upon the formation of the precursor trough, the
GFS and
ECMWF
The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is an independent intergovernmental organisation supported by most of the nations of Europe. It is based at three sites: Shinfield Park, Reading, United Kingdom; Bologna, Italy; an ...
correctly predicted that system to impact Europe as a windstorm. Between 14 and 19 January, the binary storm complex that consisted of Fionn and David brought high winds and snowfall to large portions of Europe. After the storms have passed, they left behind an improved weather situation in Europe that was calmer, drier and warmer.
The storm also brought some hurricane-force gusts and heavy snowfall to Britain and Ireland and caused 140,000 power cuts there. Nevertheless, the storm impacted the Netherlands and Germany in a much more dramatic way. The UK Met Office did not give David a name from its own storm naming list as it did not expect the storm to have a significant impact on Britain, which proved to be an underestimation.
Storm Georgina
Georgina was a fairly typical winter storm with maximum gust speeds of 60 to 70 mph around exposed coastlines, but gusts approached 60 mph inlands across parts of England and Wales.The strongest winds were near the centre of the low across northern Scotland, with the highest gust of 85 mph at South Uist, Western Isles. Winds gusted close to 115 mph across the tops of the Scottish mountains and here there were very challenging conditions with snow at high levels adding to already very significant accumulations for the winter so far. The storm hampered the search for a missing hillwalker on Ben Nevis who had previously fallen through a cornice.
Storm Emma
Storm Emma (also named Ulrike) was named while it was centred over the Azores and threatened to strike Western Europe as a
blizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow is not falling b ...
. The cyclone affected
Iberia
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
,
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
and
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
on its track, causing high winds and snowfall, leading to blizzard conditions.
As Emma neared southwest England, it brought new cold air to the UK and Ireland, prolonging the cold period.
Meteorologists observed the collision of Emma and
Anticyclone Hartmut
Anticyclone Hartmut (dubbed the ''Beast from the East'' ( ga, An Torathar ón Oirthear)) was a storm that began on 22 February 2018, and brought a cold wave to Great Britain and Ireland. Anticyclone Hartmut also brought widespread unusually l ...
dubbed the ''Beast from the East'' by the press, and the interaction of the two highly different air masses worsened the wind and snowfall posed by Emma. Starting on 1 March 2018, the collision of Emma and Hartmut triggered numerous hurricane-force gusts in southern Europe and the United Kingdom. The highest of these gusts occurred in the morning of 1 March on
Mount Aigoual in southern France at .
On 1 March 2018, UK authorities issued a red warning in Wales and south-west England as citizens in Scotland spent up to 20 hours in their cars stuck in traffic in frigid weather and a 46-year-old
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
man died in a motor vehicle accident on the
A34. Schools across the UK were closed in the face of oncoming blizzards, strong winds, and heavy snowfall. Traffic was significantly hindered by the ''Beast from the East''.
In
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
commuters near
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
were stranded by snow and had to freed by farmers with tractors, a minimum of 20 cars and
HGVs were snowed in on the
A46 close to
Faldingworth. The
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
deployed 4×4 vehicles to transport health and emergency workers.
Trains were cancelled across the UK, with over 20 rail operators running at reduced capacity; London's
Paddington Station
Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a Central London railway terminus and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services provided by the Great We ...
closed for about three hours and 50 stations in
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
closed because of inclement weather. Air travel has been similarly curtailed, as terminals all over the country cancel flights.
[
At least three people died in the UK as a result of the storm.]
In Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
snow began to fall in the east of the country on Tuesday 27 February. Snow continued in the east on Wednesday the 28th, with well over reported in many areas. Schools closed on Wednesday the 28th in affected areas. Panic buying of food was seen as Storm Emma approached. Emma made landfall on the south coast on Thursday 1 March and swept northward. All schools were closed on Thursday 1 March and Friday the 2nd nationwide with a red weather warning put in place by Met Eireann. High winds and heavy snowfall on top of the already lying snow led to drifting and severe disruption. Many roads were left impassable, particularly in rural areas and in North Kildare
Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional cen ...
, West Wicklow
Wicklow ( ; ga, Cill Mhantáin , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; non, Víkingaló) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. It is located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island. According to the 2016 census, it has ...
and Wexford
Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...
respectively. Power outages and water cuts were reported widely. A Lidl
Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG (; ) is a German international discount retailer chain that operates over 11,000 stores across Europe and the United States. Headquartered in Neckarsulm, Baden-Württemberg, the company belongs to the Schwarz Group, whi ...
supermarket was torn down and looted in Fortunestown, Tallaght
)
, image_skyline = TallaghtDublinD24.jpg
, image_caption = Tallaght, Dublin
, image_flag =
, flag_size =
, pushpin_map = Dublin#Ireland
, pushpin_label_position = left
, ...
during the chaos caused by the storm. Over of lying snow was reported in some locations, with drifts many feet high on many rural routes. Some rural villages were cut off for many days. A slow thaw ensued. Many schools remained closed in Kildare
Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional cen ...
, Wicklow
Wicklow ( ; ga, Cill Mhantáin , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; non, Víkingaló) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. It is located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island. According to the 2016 census, it has ...
and Wexford
Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...
on Monday 5 March as local authorities continued to attempt to clear roads.
Storm Felix
Storm Felix formed from the remnants of the nor'easter
A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below), or an East Coast low is a synoptic-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. The original use o ...
which affected the eastern United States in early March 2018. After moving out into the Atlantic, the low-pressure system which caused the nor'easter quickly deepened to a minimum pressure of . Felix was subsequently named by IPMA of Portugal on 9 March, as orange weather warnings were issued for Madeira
)
, anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira")
, song_type = Regional anthem
, image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg
, map_alt=Location of Madeira
, map_caption=Location of Madeira
, subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...
and surrounding islands. Winds gusting up to were recorded in the mountains of Madeira and up to at Madeira Airport
Madeira Airport ( pt, Aeroporto da Madeira, ), informally Funchal Airport (), formally Santa Catarina Airport () and officially Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport, is an international airport in the civil parish of Santa Cruz in the Portugu ...
.
Felix subsequently approached mainland Portugal, where red wind warnings were issued along the central coast and winds reaching were observed. Red warnings were also issued ahead of the storm in northern Spain, as Felix veered northwards into the Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...
. Felix weakened as it moved further east, making landfall in central France as a minimal storm.
Storm Gisele
Storm Gisele was named by the Spanish AEMET
The State Meteorological Agency (, AEMET) is a state agency of the Government of Spain responsible for providing weather forecast, warnings of hazardous weather and assisting the administrations in such matters. The AEMET is part of the Secretaria ...
agency on 14 March, as the system was undergoing rapid intensification
In meteorology, rapid intensification is a situation where a tropical cyclone intensifies dramatically in a short period of time. The United States National Hurricane Center defines rapid intensification as an increase in the maximum sustained w ...
in the central Atlantic. Around the same time, IPMA in Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
issued orange wind warnings for the Azores
)
, motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace")
, anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores")
, image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg
, map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union
, map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
archipelago as Gisele approached. Across the islands, winds of up to were recorded. Gisele subsequently continued northeastwards; orange wind warnings were issued for mainland Portugal and northern Spain, warning of wind impacts and coastal damage. Gisele then made landfall in mainland Portugal, with mesovortices A mesovortex is a small-scale rotational feature found in a convective storm, such as a quasi-linear convective system (QLCS, i.e. squall line), a supercell, or the eyewall of a tropical cyclone. Mesovortices range in diameter from tens of miles to ...
within an unstable cold front bringing isolated gusts of up to and at least one confirmed tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
.
Storm Hugo
Storm Hugo was named by AEMET
The State Meteorological Agency (, AEMET) is a state agency of the Government of Spain responsible for providing weather forecast, warnings of hazardous weather and assisting the administrations in such matters. The AEMET is part of the Secretaria ...
on 23 March, as it was undergoing explosive intensification
In meteorology, rapid intensification is a situation where a tropical cyclone intensifies dramatically in a short period of time. The United States National Hurricane Center defines rapid intensification as an increase in the maximum sustained ...
in the mid-Atlantic; as a result, the agency issued a Special Warning regarding the formation of Hugo. Subsequently, AEMET issued red weather warnings for northern Portugal and orange warnings for the remainder of the mainland coast, with yellow warnings of wind and snow being issued further inland. Wind gusts of up to were recorded widely, with gusts of up to recorded in coastal areas in the north of the country.
Storm Irene
Storm Irene was named by the Azores
)
, motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace")
, anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores")
, image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg
, map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union
, map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
Regional Department of Portugal's IPMA meteorological agency on 16 April. Moving swiftly northwards, Irene intensified into an unusually strong low for the region at this time of year, crossing the Azores archipelago with a minimum pressure of and winds of up to . As a result, orange weather warnings were issued for the islands. After crossing the Azores, Irene moved northwestwards into the open Atlantic and weakened, dissipating over the northern Atlantic without again affecting land.
Storm Hector
Hector was the last-named storm of the 2017-2018 season which brought heavy rain and strong winds across the north of the UK and Ireland throughout 13 and 14 June. Met Éireann named the storm as an orange warning for wind was issued on 13 June. The storm arrived after a week-long spell of hot and sunny weather. Strong winds brought disruption to road and rail services, with widespread reports of fallen trees. The Forth and Tay bridges in Scotland were restricted to high sided vehicles as was the Tees flyover in northern England. Ferry services were also affected. Reports of flying debris hospitalised one individual in Edinburgh. Meanwhile rough seas battered coastal communities. Widespread loss of power was reported in areas of Northern Ireland with up to 26,000 homes and businesses affected. Storm Hector did however bring a boost to the UK's energy supply in the form of wind power.
Other systems
Several notable extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of ...
s affecting Europe went officially unnamed throughout the season as they did not affect any of the countries involved in issuing names; however, many of these did receive unofficial names from the Free University of Berlin
The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public research university in Berlin, Germany. It is consistently ranked among Germany's best universities, with particular strengths in political science and t ...
. Cyclone Thomas rapidly deepened as it crossed Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
on 17–18 September, bringing intense straight-line winds to the country. Eight people were killed, with more than 137 injuries and 7,000 damage claims reported, totalling around US$9.4 million in damage.
Cyclone Xavier crossed northern Europe in early October 2017. Germany was the worst affected country, with high winds between 4 and 6 October causing severe damage, including in and around Berlin. Further damage was reported in the Czech Republic, where the highest winds of up to were recorded, and in Poland. In total, Xavier killed nine people – seven in Germany and two in Poland – and caused at least £180 million (€200 million) in damage.
Cyclone Herwart
Cyclone Herwart was a European windstorm that affected Southern Denmark, Germany, Poland, Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic on 28–29 October 2017. Named by the Free University of Berlin Meteorology Department, the storm was an extratropica ...
initially formed as a secondary low to a more northerly centre of low pressure (named Grischa) coming southward from the Svalbard Islands region in late October. Herwart then went through the Fujiwhara effect
The Fujiwhara effect, sometimes referred to as the Fujiwara effect, Fujiw(h)ara interaction or binary interaction, is a phenomenon that occurs when two nearby cyclonic vortices move around each other and close the distance between the circulations ...
with this system, rotating counterclockwise around the main low pressure area, passing over Norway, Sweden, Latvia and then losing power while moving over western Russia. In Denmark, which was hit on 28 October, the storm was named Ingolf. In Hungary, the storm was named Nárcisz (Narcissus), a Hungarian female name whose name day is on 29 October. In total, Herwart killed ten people across central Europe and caused £800 million (€950 million) in damage.
Cyclone Reinhard (also known locally as ''Storm Ylva'') made landfall in Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
on 23 November, with high winds and heavy rainfall causing millions of euros worth of damage. There were hundreds of reports of damage across southern Norway, but no reports of injuries or fatalities.
A low-pressure area known as ''Storm Cora'' in Norway and ''Ex-Blizzard Aku'' in Finland brought wind gusts of up to to these areas in January 2018.
Season effects
Storms named by European meteorological services
* Aileen (UK/IE), Sebastian (Free University of Berlin), 12–13 September.
* Xavier (Free University of Berlin), 4–6 October.
* Brian (UK/IE), Elmar (Free University of Berlin), 21 October.
* Herwart (FUB), Ingolf (dk) Grzegorz (Polish derivative of the FUB name), 28–29 October.
* Ylva (No), Reinhard (FUB), 22–23 November.
* Caroline (UK/IE), Walter (FUB), Aina (No), 7–8 December 2017.
* Ana (Fr/Es/Pt), Yves (FUB), 10–11 December.
* Birk (No-for heavy rainfall), Diethelm (FUB), 23 December 2017.
* Bruno (Fr/Es/Pt), Edilbert (FUB), 26–27 December 2017.
* Dylan (UK/IE), Horst (FUB), 29–31 December 2017.
* Carmen (Fr/Es/Pt), Ingmar (FUB), 1 January 2018.
* Eleanor
Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages.
The name was introd ...
(UK/IE), Burglind (FUB), 2–3 January 2018.
* Aku (Fin), Cora (No), Unnamed (FUB) -later absorbed by Christine, 7 January 2018.
* Fionn (UK/IE), Evi (FUB), 16 January 2018.
* David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
(Fr/Es/Pt), Friederike (FUB), 18 January 2018.
* Georgina (UK/IE), Helene (FUB), 23–24 January 2018.
* Emma (Fr/Es/Pt), Ulrike (FUB), 26 February-5 March 2018
* Felix (Fr/Es/Pt), Yuliya (FUB), 10–11 March 2018
* Gisele (Fr/Es/Pt), Zsuzsa (FUB), 14 March 2018.
* Hugo (Fr/Es/Pt) Carola (FUB) 24–25 March 2018.
* Irene (Fr/Es/Pt) 30 March–10 April 2018.
See also
*Cyclone Numa
Cyclone Numa, also known as Medicane Numa, was a Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone with the properties of a subtropical cyclone. Numa formed on 11 November 2017 west of the British Isles, out of the extratropical remnants of Tropical Storm ...
, a medicane in November 2017
* 2018 Great Britain and Ireland cold wave
* 2017–2018 North American winter
Notes
# Lowest pressure for the cyclonic centre of Fionn was achieved on 14 January to the north of Iceland, at the time of Fionn's naming on 16 January the cyclonic centre had substantially filled to about .
#The gust occurred in the squeezed isobar region between the centres of Emma and Hartmut, thus it was probably caused by the mixed effects of the two systems due to their collision.
References
External links
UK Storm Centre
Met Éireann
Met Office past weather events: Ophelia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Windstorm season, European, 2017-2018
*2017-2018
2017-18 European windstorm season
2017-18 European windstorm season
2017 meteorology
2017 in the Republic of Ireland
2017 disasters in the United Kingdom
2018 meteorology
2018 in the Republic of Ireland
2018 disasters in the United Kingdom
2017 natural disasters
2018 natural disasters