Eunice arrived right on the heels of destructive Storm Dudley. The windstorm duo struck Europe with deadly force, unloading 100-mph winds in areas and causing a frightening scene on a commuter ferry in Germany.
Published Feb. 18, 2022 2:39 PM EST | Updated Feb. 18, 2022 4:45 PM EST
A one-two punch of powerful windstorms has left northern and central Europe reeling this week. Storms Dudley and Eunice unloaded powerful winds and driving rain from Ireland to central parts of the continent, and impacts from Eunice are expected to last into the weekend, AccuWeather forecasters say.
The potent storms made their presence felt on land and sea by ripping the roof apart of a major arena in London while also causing a frightening scene on a commuter ferry in Hamburg, Germany. Authorities blamed Dudley, named Ylenia by the German meteorological service, for several fatalities in Germany and Poland on Dudley.
As the Eunice struck Ireland and the U.K. on Friday, howling winds hit with a vengeance. By midday, a wind gust of 70 mph was reported in the English port city of Plymouth, while Mumbles Head, a coastal site in Wales, had a wind gust of 87 mph.
The Needles, a landmark attraction on the Isle of Wight in southern England, reported a wind gust of 122 mph Friday morning, which the U.K. Met Office preliminarily confirmed as the highest wind gust ever reported in England. For comparison, a Category 3 major hurricane in the Atlantic has winds ranging from 111 to 120 mph.
Before Storm Eunice even hit, hundreds of schools were closed across the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Boris Johnson had readied the army to help those affected by the storm.
The damaging winds tore apart the fabric roof of London's O2 Arena, leaving wide openings in the structure. The BBC reported that the building was evacuated and closed for the remainder of Friday.
"The safety of our visitors remains of paramount importance," the O2 said in a statement, according to the BBC.
A general view of storm damage caused to the 02 area in east London, Friday, Feb. 18, 2022. Millions of Britons are being urged to cancel travel plans and stay indoors Friday amid fears of high winds and flying debris as the second major storm this week prompted a rare "red" weather warning across southern England (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
The wind proved challenging for pilots flying into London Heathrow Airport on Friday as wind gusts peaked at 61 mph midday. Heathrow reported flight delays as long as an hour, while London's Stansted Airport had delays of 90 minutes, according to FlightAware.
Storm Dudley was the first windstorm to be named by the United Kingdom Met Office earlier this week. Also referred to as Ylenia by the German Meteorological Service, the storm impacted Ireland, the U.K. and Belgium on Wednesday before spreading into the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Poland into Thursday.
Wind gusts of 70 to 80 mph were reported in locations of the U.K., while major cities like Edinburgh and London clocked in at 40 mph and 44 mph respectively. The storm halted train service for portions of Scotland, Wales and England Wednesday, blamed on downed trees and power lines, according to The Associated Press.
The powerful winds toppled part of a wind turbine near the town of Bridgend in South Wales.
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In the Netherlands, rail services were suspended due to downed trees and power lines. Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam warned travelers that the high winds were likely to cause cancelations and delays.
Power outages extended from England to Germany, Poland and Czechia. Hundreds of thousands of customers were without electricity in Czechia alone.
In two of Germany's most populous states, schools were closed on Thursday in anticipation of Dudley. As a precaution, both of Berlin's zoos were also closed on Thursday. Rail company Deutsche Bahn canceled long-distance connections across the states of northern Germany, citing that there was "considerable" damage to the tracks and power lines across the region.
A storm has blown a roof of an apartment house on a street in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. Meteorologists warned Thursday that northern Europe could be battered by a series of storms over the coming days after strong winds swept across Germany, Denmark, Poland and the Czech Republic overnight, toppling trees and causing widespread delays to rail and air traffic. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
The Government Security Center of Poland sent out text messages ahead of the storm, warning people of the anticipated extreme winds and urging residents to stay indoors.
The storm's power turned deadly when three motorists were killed in Germany, as winds brought down trees onto vehicles and pushed one motorist's trailer into the path of an oncoming truck, according to The Associated Press. Two additional fatalities were reported in Krakow, Poland, where a crane collapsed due to the strong winds. There were also reports of several tornadoes across Poland.
Large ships were banned from sailing across portions of the Elbe River near the northern German city of Hamburg due to dangerous waters and wind. Video posted to social media showed a massive wave shattering several windows of a commuter ferry. At least three people reportedly suffered injuries.
The U.K. Met Office Storm Eunice on Monday, anticipating the widespread impacts of this subsequent windstorm across the British Isles. This storm was referred to as Storm Zeynep in Germany.
"Storm Eunice is following the path of Storm Dudley, which brought damaging storm gusts upwards of 80 mph to parts of the United Kingdom on Wednesday and Thursday. Storm cleanup, such as downed trees and branches, restoring electricity and repairing structural damage, are likely to be delayed," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Alyssa Smithmyer.
Ahead of Eunice, the UK Met Office issued rare "red" weather warnings for Friday, the highest warning category the agency uses, for high winds across portions of southern Wales, southwestern England and southeastern England, including London. More widespread "amber" alerts were issued across the remainder of England. Red warnings were last issued by the UK Met Office for Storm Arwen, back in November, but prior to that, the last time a red warning was issued was in March 2018.
Waves crash over the Newhaven harbour breakwater and lighthouse, as Storm Eunice hits Newhaven, on the south coast of England, Friday, Feb. 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
According to Met Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gunderson, the red warning areas signify "a significant danger to life" and strong winds would have the potential to damage structures and send debris flying. Dangerous waves and coastal flooding were also a concern for the beaches of Wales and England, including for the English city of Brighton.
"Blowing snow and blizzard conditions will be an issue for northwest Ireland, Northern Ireland, south-central Scotland and northern England," added Smithmyer. Up to 12 inches (30 cm) of snow could fall in the higher elevations by the end of the day on Saturday.
Widespread damage is expected to follow Storm Eunice as it barrels eastward on Saturday into portions of Germany, Denmark, Czechia, Poland and the Baltics, Smithmyer warned.
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