Storm Emma, also called Ulrike, was a deep depression which was part of the
2017–18 European windstorm season. As it interacted with
Anticyclone Hartmut, a
cold wave
A cold wave (known in some regions as a cold snap, cold spell or Arctic Snap) is a weather phenomenon that is distinguished by a cooling of the air. Specifically, as used by the U.S. National Weather Service, a cold wave is a rapid fall in tem ...
, Emma's warmer damp air rode over the cold air that had been over Western Europe for a few days, leading to heavy snow falls of up to .
It brought a renewed push of cold air to much of the United Kingdom with temperatures falling as low as in
Nairnshire.
The worst affected areas were southwest England and southern Wales.
Snowfall, and temperatures
Snowfall
Although the maximum snow fall was , most places affected reported a general total of . Snowfall was reported along the coast of Italy and
French Riviera
The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend from ...
for the first time since 2010 and UK since 29 September 2017. Snow also fell in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
, a rare occurrence for the region, disrupting
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
car testing ahead of the
2018 season.
Temperatures
Throughout the storm, the temperatures were very low with
Cairn Gorm
Cairn Gorm ( gd, An Càrn Gorm) is a mountain in the Scottish Highlands. It is part of the Cairngorms range and wider Grampian Mountains. With a summit elevation of above sea level, Cairn Gorm is classed as a Munro and is the seventh-hi ...
recording a daytime high of on 1 March. However, more generally places saw maximum temperatures between .
Effects
Holyhead Marina in
Holyhead
Holyhead (,; cy, Caergybi , "Cybi's fort") is the largest town and a community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales, with a population of 13,659 at the 2011 census. Holyhead is on Holy Island, bounded by the Irish Sea to the north, and i ...
, North Wales was destroyed due to the storm on March 1–2, 2018.
See also
*
Other storms named Emma
*
Storm Larisa, which brought heavy snowfall to the United Kingdom in March 2023
References
Weather events in the United Kingdom
European windstorms
Blizzards
February 2018 events in the United Kingdom
March 2018 events in the United Kingdom
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