Storm Eunice continues to sweep northwestern Europe on Saturday morning with strong gusts still expected on German coasts, and has already left behind at least 13 deaths and extensive property damage as well as power cuts massive.
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Formed in Ireland, the storm passed Friday over part of the United Kingdom then northern France, Benelux before continuing its route towards Denmark and Germany, of which a large northern third was placed on red alert until Saturday morning.
“There is a risk of severe storm force gusts (level 3 out of 4). Maximum gust: 100-115 km / h”, warned the German meteorological services, warning of the risks of uprooted trees, falling branches or even damaged roofs.
This storm left a spectacle of desolation in its path and caused significant disruption.
Hundreds of flights, trains and ferries were canceled across northwestern Europe as extreme winds from Eunice swept through less than 48 hours after Storm Dudley (at least six dead in Poland and Germany).
At this stage, 13 deaths have been recorded because of Eunice: two in Poland and Germany, four in the Netherlands, three in England, one in Belgium as well as in Ireland.
Many of these deaths are due to trees falling on vehicles.
In the Netherlands, in the capital The Hague, dozens of houses were evacuated for fear of the collapse of the bell tower of a church. The Dutch rail network was disrupted and Thalys Amsterdam Brussels connections interrupted, with a resumption expected in the afternoon according to a spokesperson.
According to the British forecaster Met Office, clearing operations are expected to be disrupted by a new gale, less strong nevertheless, expected in certain parts of the United Kingdom, and sometimes snowfall. At least 400,000 homes remain without electricity on Saturday morning in the country, where insurers estimate the damage at more than 300 million pounds sterling (360 million euros).
They are 194,000 in the same situation in Poland, according to local authorities and several rail links are suspended.
Almost 200 km/h
In England, a gust of 196 km / h was recorded on the Isle of Wight, unheard of, while others were measured at more than 110 km / h inland, including at London airport Heathrow.
The British Meteorological Service had issued a red alert level – the highest – over South Wales and southern England, including London. This is the first time that the British capital has reached this level of alert since the implementation of this system in 2011.
In the north of France, around thirty injuries were recorded, in road accidents linked to the wind, falls or because of falling materials. Around 37,000 homes remained without power on Saturday morning and some regional rail links were disrupted.
Strong gusts coupled with high tides raise fears of flooding, especially as heavy rains were expected for Saturday.
Cross-Channel ferry traffic was interrupted, hundreds of flights canceled on Friday, road and rail transport affected.
The entire Dutch rail network was affected and only the Paris-Brussels Thalys were operating on Saturday morning, with full recovery expected around 2 p.m. GMT. In Belgium, according to Infrabel, after major nighttime repair work, most lines were in operation on Saturday.
In France, waves sometimes exceeding nine meters were recorded in Brittany (west) as well as gusts locally reaching 176 km / h at Cape Gris-Nez (north).
While climate change generally reinforces and multiplies extreme events, it is not so clear for winds and storms (excluding cyclones), the number of which varies greatly from one year to another.