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Revision as of 18:18, 7 December 2024 by Harrz (talk | contribs) (→Belgium: +)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) 2024 windstorm over northwestern Europe
 Storm Darragh on 6 December 2024 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 5 December 2024 |
| Dissipated | 9 December 2024 |
| Extratropical cyclone | |
| Highest gusts | 152 km/h (94 mph) at Carteret |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 1 |
| Areas affected | France, Ireland, Netherlands, United Kingdom |
| Power outages | 1,386,000+
|
Part of the 2024–25 European windstorm season | |
Storm Darragh (known as Storm Xaveria in Germany) is a extratropical cyclone which is currently over the British Isles. The fourth named storm of the 2024–25 European windstorm season, Darragh was named by the UK's Met Office on 5 December 2024.
Impact
Belgium
The Royal Meteorological Institute (KMI) issued a yellow wind warning covering West Flanders from 10 a.m. on 7 December to 11 a.m. the following day.
France
Météo-France issued amber wind alerts for nine departments from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on 7 December, warning of "sometimes violent gusts of wind, particularly on coastlines exposed to west to northwest winds". SNCF suspended all rail services on Normandy's 'Nomad' from 7–8 December, as well as some services in Brittany, Pays de la Loire and New Aquitaine. A gust of 152 km/h (94 mph) was recorded near Carteret in Normandy.
Ireland
Met Éireann issued red wind warnings for seven counties from 9 p.m. on 6 December whilst the rest of the country was under orange warnings from 8 p.m. A yellow wind warning also covered the country from 3 p.m. on 5 December until 3 p.m. on 7 December, as well as a yellow rain warning covering thirteen counties from 10 a.m. on 6 December to 10 a.m. the next day.
A gust of 141 km/h (88 mph) was recorded at Mace Head at 11 p.m. on 6 December. On 7 December around 395,000 people in Ireland lost power and many flights at Dublin Airport had been cancelled; 12 flights at Cork Airport were cancelled and a further 11 were diverted. Irish Ferries cancelled multiple sailings to France and the UK, Bus Éireann services experienced significant disruption and many rail services were disrupted. Road travel was also disrupted by debris and fallen trees across the country.
Netherlands
The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) issued a code yellow warning for 6 December covering all of the Netherlands save Limburg, North Brabant and Zeeland provinces. Over 100 flights at Schiphol Airport were cancelled on 6 December due to the storm. Ferry services from Terschelling to Ameland and Harlingen were cancelled and many train services were disrupted by fallen trees. A person was injured on 6 December whilst attempting to make a towing conection on a cargo vessel in the North Sea, 22 km (14 mi) from Rotterdam, which was left drifting after it lost its rudder.
United Kingdom
On 6 December the Met Office issued a rare red weather warning for wind covering the Welsh coast from Anglesey to the Severn Estuary and the Somerset and north Devon coasts valid from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m. on 7 December. Further wind warnings included an amber warning covering Northern Ireland, Great Britain's west coast south of Galloway and much of South West England and a yellow warning covering the rest of the UK except for the Scottish Highlands. Further weather warnings included an amber rain warning covering South East Wales, a yellow rain warning covering Northern Ireland, Southern Scotland and the rest of Wales, and a yellow snow warning for Central Scotland. In response to the red weather warning, roughly 3 million people in the affected areas of Wales and South West England were sent emergency alerts on their mobile phones in the largest use of the warning system since its official launch in early 2023.
Travel disruption included disruption to flights at Bristol Airport and Cardiff Airport, with the latter cancelling all flights scheduled during the red weather warning, and the closure of both bridges of the Severn crossing. Numerous sporting events scheduled for 7 December were cancelled or postponed due to the storm: all domestic football and rugby matches in Wales, including the Championship game between Cardiff City and Watford; the Premier League Merseyside derby; and horse races in Aintree and Chepstow. Countless Christmas events across the UK were cancelled and all of The Royal Parks were closed.
Strong gusts were recorded across Wales and South West England overnight on 7 December, with 93 mph (150 km/h) recorded at Capel Curig and 92 mph (148 km/h) at Aberdaron, both in North Wales. A man in his 40s died on the A59 road in Longton, Lancashire at around 9 a.m. when a tree fell onto his van. The Energy Networks Association reported that 177,000 homes in England, Scotland and Wales were without power and that a further 768,000 customers had been reconnected, whilst Northern Ireland Electricity reported an additional 46,000. Heavy rain from the storm caused 27 flood warnings and 201 flood alerts in England and Wales. In response to the storm, Dyfed-Powys Police declared a major incident in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, and Powys.
There was widespread damage across the country, including fallen trees. Llandudno Pier had one of its original 150-year-old units torn from its foundations and tipped sideways. In Scotland, Castle Douglas High School in Dumfries and Galloway had a large section of its roof torn off and thrown onto another section of the school. A Stena Line ferry which had departed Scotland just before 1 a.m. was stranded off the west coast of Northern Ireland after it was unable to dock in the stormy conditions.
See also
References
- Deutscher Wetterdienst (7 December 2024). "Sturmtief #XAVERIA bei den Britischen Inseln führt von West nach Ost Regen über das Bundesgebiet" (Tweet) (in German). Retrieved 7 December 2024 – via Twitter.
- "Storm Darragh has been named". Met Office. 5 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- KMI (7 December 2024). "Waarschuwing voor wind van 07/12 10u tot 08/12 11u" (Tweet) (in Dutch). Retrieved 7 December 2024 – via Twitter.
- "Tempête Darragh : onze départements en vigilance orange pour des risques de vents violents, samedi". Le Monde (in French). 6 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- "Tempête Darragh : quinze départements français placés en vigilance orange, le Royaume-Uni particulièrement touché". Libération (in French). 7 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- Alix, Erwan (7 December 2024). "CARTE. Tempête Darragh : des rafales jusqu'à 137 km/h enregistrées ce matin". Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- Young, David (6 December 2024). "Seven counties under red wind warning as Storm Darragh hits Ireland". The Independent. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- "Local authorities working to restore power, clear trees". RTÉ News. 7 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- @weercode (5 December 2024). "Code geel" (Tweet) (in Dutch). Retrieved 7 December 2024 – via Twitter.
- "Schiphol airport cancels hundreds of flights due to storm Darragh". Reuters. 6 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- "Code geel door storm: honderden vluchten geannuleerd en gevaar op de weg". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 6 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- "Vrachtschip stuurloos op Noordzee door storm, medewerker sleepboot gewond bij reddingsactie". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). 6 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- "Red wind warning issued as Storm Darragh approaches". Met Office. 6 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- James, Imogen; Lamche, Anna; Fawkes, Chris (6 December 2024). "Millions sent government alert as Storm Darragh approaches". BBC News. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- ^ King, Simon; Walsh, Aoife (7 December 2024). "Van driver killed by fallen tree as Storm Darragh rages". BBC News. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- "Storm Darragh brings 90mph gusts and heavy rain". Met Office. 7 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- Jahangir, Rumeana (7 December 2024). "Man dies in Longton as tree falls on van during Storm Darragh". BBC News. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- Lewis, Ffion (7 December 2024). "Major incident declared in huge area of Wales after Storm Darragh". Wales Online. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- "Pier in Welsh town battered by Storm Darragh as thousands are left without power". Sky News. 7 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- "Amber warning as Storm Darragh hits Scotland". BBC News. 6 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
| European windstorm seasons | |
|---|---|
| UK and Ireland windstorm seasons (2015–2017) | |
| European windstorm seasons (2017–) | |
| Notable storms |
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- 2024 disasters in Europe
- 2024 disasters in the United Kingdom
- 2024 meteorology
- December 2024 events in France
- December 2024 events in Ireland
- December 2024 events in the Netherlands
- December 2024 events in the United Kingdom
- European windstorms
- Weather events in France
- Weather events in Ireland
- Weather events in the Netherlands
- Weather events in the United Kingdom