Storm batters UK, Europe
Storm Ciara battered the UK and northern Europe with hurricane-force winds and heavy rains yesterday, halting flights and trains and producing heaving seas that closed down ports.
Soccer games, farmers’ markets and cultural events were cancelled as authorities urged people to stay indoors, away from falling tree branches.
The storm brought 150km/h gusts at the northern Welsh village of Aberdaron and 138km/h gusts at the Welsh town of Capel Curig.
Britain’s Met Office issued 190 emergency flood warnings and urged people not to try to drive through flooded roads. Residents in the town of Appleby-in-Westmorland in northwest England battled to protect their homes amid severe flooding as the River Eden burst its banks.
Three people were injured after a pub roof partially collapsed Saturday evening in the city of Perth in central Scotland.
In Ireland, power was knocked to an estimated 10,000 homes, farms and businesses. National weather agency Met Eireann warned that a combination of high tides, high seas and stormy conditions had created a significant risk of coastal flooding, particularly in the west and northwest.
Fierce winds knocked out electricity in northern France as well. Paris authorities sent out a warning to residents and tourists alike to stay indoors for their own safety. Parks and cemeteries in the city of Lille and nearby towns shut down as strong winds cracked heavy branches.
Meanwhile, a British Airways Boeing 747-436 is thought to have made the fastest flight by a conventional airliner from New York to London, propelled by fierce winds to make the 5600km journey from New York to London in 4 hours and 56 minutes, landing 102 minutes early and reaching a speed of 1327km/h.
German airline Lufthansa said there would be numerous cancellations and delays until at least Wednesday.
Two huge ports on either side of the English Channel, Dover in England and Calais in France, shut down operations amid high waves. Ferries were cancelled across the region, including in the turbulent Irish Sea and North Sea.