Storm Babet (known as Storm Viktor in Germany) was an intense
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 ...
which affected large parts of
northern
Northern may refer to the following:
Geography
* North, a point in direction
* Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe
* Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States
* Northern Province, Sri Lanka
* Northern Range, a ra ...
and
western Europe
Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context.
The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...
. The second named storm of the
2023–24 European windstorm season
The 2023–2024 European windstorm season is the ninth and current season of the European windstorm naming in Europe. The new season's storm names were announced on 1 September 2023. Storms that occur up until 31 August 2024 will be included in t ...
, Babet was named by the UK's
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 ...
on 16 October 2023.
Impact
Denmark
On 20 October, parts of Denmark experienced water levels over two metres higher than usual, with a water level of measured in Aabenraa and Hesnæs, and many parts of Aabenraa had to be evacuated. In Sønderborg, the storm surge was the highest since 1904, with a water level of above normal, and was the highest since records began in 1892 at Gedser with a height of above normal.
Due to the storm, 142 flights at
Copenhagen Airport
Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup ( da, Københavns Lufthavn, Kastrup, ; ) is an international airport serving Copenhagen, Denmark, Zealand, the Øresund Region, and southern Sweden including Scania. It is the second largest airport in the Nordic coun ...
were cancelled. Køge consistently had a waterlevel of 1 m (3 ft 3 in) through most of the storm, especially in the central area. All areas by the coastline in
Haderslev Municipality
Haderslev (german: Hadersleben) is a town and municipality on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in the Region of Southern Denmark. It includes the island of Årø as well as several other smaller islands in the Little Belt. The municipality ...
were ordered to evacuate as many areas were on the verge of flooding.
On 20 October a wind gust of 122 km/h (34 m/s) was recorded in
Nordborg
Nordborg (german: Norburg), is a town with a population of 5,709 (1 January 2022),Lolland dike that goes from parts of
Lolland
Lolland (; formerly spelled ''Laaland'', literally "low land") is the fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of . Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of Region Sjælland (Region Zealand). As of 1 January 2022, it has 57,618 inhabitant ...
and
Falster
Falster () is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010.
was also at the brink of collapse as the storm almost overwhelmed the old dike, but it managed to do its job.
Bornholm
Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland.
Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...
was also not safe, despite the water level being lower than others. Allinge-Sandvig and
Tejn
Tejn is a harbour town on the north-eastern coast of the Danish island of Bornholm, south of Allinge-Sandvig. As of 1 January 2022, it has a population of 858. Initially a fishing village, it grew considerably during the 20th century as the harb ...
were hit hardest, with roads being torn up by the storm. Many houses got destroyed or water damaged, and some houses even got swept away. Bornholm fared better than the rest of Denmark, but the coastal and fishing towns were in a poor state afterwards.
Germany
On 19 October, a 33-year-old woman was killed on the German island of
Fehmarn
Fehmarn (, da, Femern; from Old Wagrian Slavic "''Fe More''", meaning "''In the Sea''") is an island in the Baltic Sea, off the eastern coast of Germany's northernmost state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is Germany's third-largest island, after Rüg ...
when her car was hit by a falling tree. In
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sch ...
, around 2,000 people were evacuated due to a
storm surge
A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the n ...
Eckernförde
Eckernförde ( da, Egernførde, sometimes also , nds, Eckernför, sometimes also ) () is a German town in Schleswig-Holstein, Rendsburg-Eckernförde, on the coast of the Baltic Sea approximately 30 km north-west of Kiel. The population is ...
and Schleswig were among the places affected by the evacuations. In
Flensburg
Flensburg (; Danish, Low Saxon: ''Flensborg''; North Frisian: ''Flansborj''; South Jutlandic: ''Flensborre'') is an independent town (''kreisfreie Stadt'') in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the ...
, water levels reached above the usual level. The head of the disaster control department in the Schleswig-Holstein
Ministry of the Interior
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministry ...
, Ralf Kirchhoff, said he expects flood damage to be in the three-digit million range.
On 21 October, a wind gust of was recorded at Feldberg,
Schwarzwald
The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...
.
Portugal
On 17 October, ceilings in the terminal building of
Faro Airport
Faro Airport ( pt, Aeroporto de Faro, ), officially Gago Coutinho Airport (''Aeroporto Gago Coutinho''), is located westAI of Faro in Portugal. The airport opened in July 1965 being the main gateway to the year-round resort region of the Al ...
collapsed after of rain fell in the area and caused flooding. Roofs were ripped off of homes in Castro Marim.
Norway
On 21 October, 22,700 people were without electricity in Southern Norway according to Agder Energi after strong winds caused damage to homes, power masts and trees. County Road 55 was closed due to the storm, and several planes had to cancel their landings at
Kristiansand Airport
Kristiansand Airport ( no, Kristiansand lufthavn; ) is an international airport serving Kristiansand Municipality in Agder county, Norway. The airport is located in the district of Tveit in the Oddernes borough, about by road and by air from th ...
after winds reached .
United Kingdom
On 18 October, Storm Babet hit Torbay, with a beach bar swept into the sea in
Torquay
Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignton ...
Paignton
Paignton ( ) is a seaside town on the coast of Tor Bay in Devon, England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the borough of Torbay which was created in 1998. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the English Riviera. Paignt ...
and
Teignmouth
Teignmouth ( ) is a seaside town, fishing port and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is situated on the north bank of the estuary mouth of the River Teign, about 12 miles south of Exeter. The town had a population of 14,749 at the ...
, where a seaside
skatepark
A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, scootering, wheelchairs, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairsets, q ...
was flooded.
On 19 October, a 57-year-old woman's body was recovered from the North Esk river in
Angus, Scotland
Angus ( sco, Angus; gd, Aonghas) is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross. Main industries include agr ...
after she was swept into the Water of Lee. A tree hit a van on the B9127 road in
Whigstreet
Whigstreet is a village in the county of Angus, Scotland, between the towns of Forfar and Carnoustie
Carnoustie (; sco, Carnoustie, gd, Càrn Ùstaidh) is a town and former police burgh in the council area of Angus, Scotland. It is at the ...
, Angus, killing the 56-year-old driver. 335 homes were asked to evacuate in Brechin after heavy rainfall caused fears that the River South Esk could burst its banks, and an additional 87 homes in
Tannadice
Tannadice Park ( gd, Pàirc Thanachais), usually referred to as Tannadice, is a football stadium in Dundee, Scotland. It is the home ground of Dundee United F.C., who have played at Tannadice since the club was founded as Dundee Hibernian in 1 ...
and
Finavon
Finavon is a small settlement in Angus, Scotland. Its Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see ordnance and surveying), which wa ...
were also asked to evacuate. The
Roker Pier
Roker () is a tourist resort and affluent area of Sunderland, North East England, bounded on the south by the River Wear and Monkwearmouth, on the east by the North Sea, to the west by Fulwell and on the north by Seaburn. It is administer ...
in
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
was damaged by waves and winds, with several metres of railings being destroyed and sections of decking around the lighthouse being washed away.
On 20 October, a man was killed in
Cleobury Mortimer
Cleobury Mortimer (, ) is a market town and civil parish in southeast Shropshire, England, which had a population of 3,036 at the 2011 census. It was granted a market charter by Henry III in 1226.''Rotuli Litterarum Clausarum in Turri Londinensi ...
,
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...
, after being swept away by flood waters. Two women were killed in a crash involving four cars and a lorry which overturned amid high winds on the
M4 motorway
The M4, originally the London-South Wales Motorway, is a motorway in the United Kingdom running from west London to southwest Wales. The English section to the Severn Bridge was constructed between 1961 and 1971; the Welsh element was largely ...
. Police began searching for a man who was trapped inside a vehicle in floodwater near Marykirk,
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland.
It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...
, with searches continuing until 23 October when he was found dead inside his vehicle. In
South Shields
South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. Historically, it was known in Roman times as Arbeia, and as Caer Urfa by Early Middle Ages. According to the 20 ...
, the Tyne South Pier light lost its top during the storm.
On 21 October, a woman in her 80s was found dead at her home in
Chesterfield, Derbyshire
Chesterfield is a market town and unparished area in the Borough of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, north of Derby and south of Sheffield at the confluence of the River Rother and River Hipper. In 2011 the built-up-area subdivision had a p ...
drilling platform
A drilling rig is an integrated system that drills wells, such as oil or water wells, or holes for piling and other construction purposes, into the earth's subsurface. Drilling rigs can be massive structures housing equipment used to drill wat ...
in 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 ...
by HM Coastguard after four of the platform's eight anchors detached themselves due to the severe weather. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said they had restored power to around 36,000 customers, with a remaining 700 properties waiting to have power restored. Other power outages included 40,000 Northern Powergrid customers and 14,000 Scottish Power customers.
On 22 October, around 500 homes were urged to evacuate in Retford following high water levels on the River Idle, which prompted two severe flood warnings in the area. A sinkhole appeared on the eponymous
Bridge of Dun
Bridge of Dun is a village in Angus, Scotland, located north of the River South Esk and south of the A935 road from Brechin to Montrose.
History
The village's 19th-century railway footbridge was restored in 2014. In October 2023, Storm Babe ...
in
Angus
Angus may refer to:
Media
* ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film
* ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record''
Places Australia
* Angus, New South Wales
Canada
* Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario
* East Angus, Quebec
Scotland
* An ...
.
Throughout the entire storm event, beaches in the North East experienced severe erosion leaving them exposed and vulnerable to the remaining winter storms. The severity of this change was attributed in part to the storm duration, with waves over 4 m high for in excess of 72 hours. In East Lothian, the Musselburgh coastline suffered a major hit with around 4,000 cubic metres of sediment removed from its beaches, equating to approximately 5 years' worth of erosion in one event.
Travel disruption
On 20 October, a large plane skidded off a
runway
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt concrete, as ...
whilst landing at
Leeds Bradford Airport
Leeds Bradford Airport is located in Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, about northwest of Leeds city centre, and about northeast from Bradford city centre. It serves Leeds and Bradford and th ...
, causing the airport to close. All of the passengers aboard the TUI flight from
Corfu
Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...
were evacuated from the plane safely, and the airport reopened at 11:30 BST the next day. The storm caused the suspension of the
Shields Ferry
The Shields Ferry operates across the River Tyne, between North Shields and South Shields in Tyne and Wear, England. The service is operated by the Nexus, the Tyne and Wear PTE. Prior to takeover by the PTE in 1972, it was known as the Market ...
until 22 October.
The storm caused severe disruption to travel after many roads were closed and railways flooded. On 21 October, King's Cross railway station in
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its characteris ...
was closed due to overcrowding caused by the disruption. Avanti West Coast,
LNER LNER may refer to:
*London and North Eastern Railway, a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1923 until 1947
*London North Eastern Railway, a train operating company in the United Kingdom since 2018
* Liquid neutral earthing resistor, a type ...
and
Northern Trains
Northern Trains, branded as Northern, (legally Northern Trains Limited) is a State-owned enterprises of the United Kingdom, publicly owned train operating company in England. It is owned by DfT OLR Holdings for the Department for Transport (DfT) ...
advised passengers to avoid travelling after their lines were widely flooded. Flooding between
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
and
Wakefield
Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...
caused "an extremely limited service" and no LNER services were running north of
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, with no rail replacement services available due to road closures. Northern Rail said all lines between Cheadle Hulme and Wilmslow were blocked due to damage to overhead electric wires, and services were not running from
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
to
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
or Lincoln due to flooding. Trains were unable to travel between
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
and
Bradford
Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
,
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
and
Harrogate
Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...
Morpeth
Morpeth may refer to:
*Morpeth, New South Wales, Australia
** Electoral district of Morpeth, a former electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in New South Wales
* Morpeth, Ontario, Canada
* Morpeth, Northumberland, England, UK
** Morpeth (UK ...
was closed after damage to a viaduct. Avanti West Coast asked customers not to travel between
Crewe
Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The Crewe built-up area had a total population of 75,556 in 2011, which also covers parts of the adjacent civil parishes of Willaston ...
and
North Wales
, area_land_km2 = 6,172
, postal_code_type = Postcode
, postal_code = LL, CH, SY
, image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg
, map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...
.
Seabird displacement
Storm Babet displaced unprecedented numbers of seabirds into the
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth () is the estuary, or firth, of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea with Fife on the north coast and Lothian on the south.
Name
''Firth'' is a cognate of ''fjord'', a Norse word meani ...
Leach's storm petrel
Leach's storm petrel or Leach's petrel (''Hydrobates leucorhous'') is a small seabird of the tubenose order. It is named after the British zoologist William Elford Leach. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek. ''Hydrobates'' is from ...
little auk
The little auk or dovekie (''Alle alle'') is a small auk, the only member of the genus ''Alle''. ''Alle'' is the Sami name of the long-tailed duck; it is onomatopoeic and imitates the call of the drake duck. Linnaeus was not particularly famil ...
s.
Legacy
United Kingdom
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 ...
, the UK's national weather service, announced it would review its warnings as a result of the floods in Suffolk and Norfolk. Only a yellow warning was issued for the area, but Suffolk County Council declared a major incident after severe flooding.