:Cyclone Dirk

{{Short description|2013 European windstorm}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}

{{Infobox winter storm

| name = Cyclone Dirk

| image location = Dirk_23_12.jpg

| image name = Dirk over Western Europe 23 December 2013

| stormtype = European windstorm, Extratropical cyclone, Winter storm

| date formed = 21 December 2013

| date dissipated = 27  December 2013

| pressure = {{convert|927|mb|inHg|abbr=on}}

| gust = {{convert|228|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}

| total damages (USD) =

| total fatalities = 6 (4 UK, 1 France, 1 in the ocean.)

| areas affected = Ireland, United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Portugal, Switzerland, Italy

}}

Cyclone Dirk was a large and deep European windstorm that affected Western Europe from the Iberian Peninsula to Iceland from 22 December 2013.

Meteorological history

Dirk formed over North America,{{cite news|last=Saary|first=Elizabeth|title=UK Stormy weather to last 48 hours|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25491961|access-date=23 December 2013|newspaper=BBC News|date=23 December 2013}} some storminess was associated with the low in Canada, before it moved into the Atlantic. The preceding weather in North America saw a steep temperature gradient (temperatures in New York {{cvt|21|C|F|disp=sqbr}}, Montreal {{cvt|-7|C|F|disp=sqbr}}) which enhanced the jet stream in the North Atlantic.{{cite news|last=Hammond|first=John|title=Why is it so stormy?|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/25508106|access-date=24 December 2013|newspaper=Weather BBC News|date=24 December 2013}} The low moved under this powerful jet stream where it explosively deepened before reaching Western Europe.{{cite web|last=Taylor|first=Matt|title=UK stormy weather explained|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/25499488|work=BBC News|access-date=24 December 2013}}

Deepening below {{cvt|935|hPa|inHg}} is considered uncommon in the North Atlantic, but has been recorded on a number of occasions, measured from ships transiting the ocean and from land based-recording stations.{{cite journal|last=Burt|first=S. D.|title=A new North Atlantic low pressure record|journal=Weather|date=February 1987|volume=42|issue=2|pages=53–56|doi=10.1002/j.1477-8696.1987.tb06919.x|bibcode = 1987Wthr...42...53B }} Offshore the minimum low pressure of the "Dirk" storm was forecast to reach a low of {{cvt|927|hPa|inHg}}.{{cite web|title=Analysis 24/12/2013|url=http://nomads.ncdc.noaa.gov/ncep-charts/hires/20131224/gdas.sfc.mslp.thk.nh.anl.12.20131224.gif|publisher=NOAA|access-date=9 February 2014|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140209143747/http://nomads.ncdc.noaa.gov/ncep-charts/hires/20131224/gdas.sfc.mslp.thk.nh.anl.12.20131224.gif|archive-date=9 February 2014|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|title=Winter storms, December 2013 to January 2014|url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/interesting/2013-decwind|access-date=14 February 2014|newspaper=Met Office|date=12 February 2014}}

On land the low pressure during the storm was measured at {{cvt|936.8|hPa|inHg}} on 24 December at Stornoway, Isle of Lewis off the north west coast of Scotland.{{cite news|last=Graham|first=Eddie|title=Lowest pressure for 127 years recorded in Stornoway today (Confirmed) + Storm Videos|url=http://uhi-mahara.co.uk/view/artefact.php?artefact=43030&view=1258|access-date=25 December 2013|newspaper=UHI-Mahara|date=24 December 2013}}{{cite news|title=Christmas Eve weather warning- lowest pressure in over 100 years|url=http://www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/news/local-headlines/christmas-eve-weather-warning-lowest-pressure-in-over-100-years-1-3243085|access-date=25 December 2013|newspaper=Stornoway Gazette|date=23 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226072847/http://www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/news/local-headlines/christmas-eve-weather-warning-lowest-pressure-in-over-100-years-1-3243085|archive-date=26 December 2013|url-status=dead}} This was the lowest atmospheric pressure measured in Britain and Ireland since 1886 (127 years), when a low of {{cvt|931.2|hPa|inHg}} was recorded in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The most recent low pressure record near such values in Stornoway was measured on 20 December 1982 at {{cvt|937.6|hPa|inHg}}. The all-time low pressure record for the British Isles remains at {{cvt|925.4|hPa|inHg}}, recorded at Ochtertyre, Crieff in Perthshire on 26 January 1884.

At the southernmost tip of the Faroe Islands a low air pressure of {{cvt|932.2|hPa|inHg}} was recorded on Christmas Eve at Akraberg lighthouse.{{cite news|title=Dramatiskt julväder i Sverige och övriga Europa|url=http://www.smhi.se/nyhetsarkiv/dramatiskt-julvader-i-sverige-och-ovriga-europa-1.35142|access-date=7 January 2014|newspaper=Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute|date=27 December 2013|language=sv|archive-date=7 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107121945/http://www.smhi.se/nyhetsarkiv/dramatiskt-julvader-i-sverige-och-ovriga-europa-1.35142|url-status=dead}} This was not as low as the Faroese record of 930.3 hPa, set at Vagar airport during the passage of the Braer Storm of January 1993.

Forecast

Met Éireann issued nationwide orange wind and marine alerts for winds of {{cvt|50|to|80|km/h|mph}} with gusts of {{cvt|100|to|130|km/h|mph}}.{{cite news|title=Severe weather likely to disrupt Christmas travel|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/1223/494438-weather/|access-date=23 December 2013|newspaper=RTÉ|date=23 December 2013}} The UK Met Office issued national severe weather warnings for wind and rain across southwest and northern areas of the UK for the 23 and 24 December.{{cite web|title=Another December storm and the chance of a White Christmas|url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/news/releases/archive/2013/december-storm-christmas|publisher=Met Office|access-date=22 December 2013}} Forty to sixty millimetres of rain was expected across southern England and Wales on 23 December, with gales and severe gales with gusts of {{cvt|70|-|80|mph|km/h}} gusts and blizzards over the Scottish mountains on 24 December. The storm was described as a "perturbation tempétueuse" (stormy disturbance) by Météo France, who issued orange warnings to parts of Brittany on 22 December. These warnings were expanded to an orange alert across 14 departments in Normandy, Picardy and Nord-Pas-de-Calais on 23 December.{{cite news|title=Tempête. Dirk est aux portes de l'Ouest|url=http://www.ouest-france.fr/tempete-la-vigilance-orange-etendue-14-departements-1814798|access-date=27 March 2014|newspaper=Ouest France|date=23 December 2013|language=fr}}{{cite news|title=Cross Channel ferries cancelled due to storms|url=http://www.thelocal.fr/20131223/north-west-france-on-alert-for-winds-and-flooding|access-date=23 December 2013|newspaper=The Local, France|date=23 December 2013}} French Meteorologists stated the storm would not be as strong as the devastating Lothar and Martin, a pair of storms which hit France in late December 1999.{{cite news|last=Jean-Michel|first=François|title=INFOGRAPHIE. Tempête Dirk : les prévisionnistes ne sont pas tous d'accord|url=http://www.lunion.presse.fr/accueil/infographie-tempete-dirk-les-previsionnistes-ne-sont-ia0b0n272317|access-date=23 December 2013|newspaper=L'union L'Ardennais|date=23 December 2013|language=fr}} The Norwegian Meteorological Institute issued a warning for Christmas Eve for the whole of Southern Norway.{{cite news|last=Husebø|first=Trond-Ole|title=Blir full storm på julaften!|url=http://www.yr.no/nyheter/1.11434509|access-date=23 December 2013|newspaper=NRK|date=23 December 2013|language=no|archive-date=25 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225120915/http://www.yr.no/nyheter/1.11434509|url-status=dead}}

Impact

File:Dirk TPW 20131224 03Z.png

Dirk brought heavy rain to most counties of Southernmost England, from Dorset to Kent, {{cvt|50|to|67|mm|in}} of rain fell which caused many pockets of flooding on 23 and 24 December. Rainfall for the 24 hours to 09:00 UTC on 24 December was {{cvt|66.8|mm|in}} at Fontmell Magna, Dorset; {{cvt|66.7|mm|in}} at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire (the greatest ever recorded there in 24 hours); {{cvt|61.0|mm|in}} at Mickleham, Surrey; and {{cvt|63.2|mm|in}} at Wych Cross, East Sussex – usually three-quarters of the whole-month's rainfall at these points.

Northwestern Spain saw strong wind gusts, with coastal areas seeing large waves and wind damage. A gust of {{convert|42.8|m/s|km/h m/s mph|order=out}} was measured at the Estaca de Bares peninsula in Galicia.{{cite news|last=Høgsholt|first=Danny|title=Julestorm hærger hele Vesteuropa|url=http://vejret.tv2.dk/artikel/id-73135940:julestorm-h%C3%A6rger-hele-vesteuropa.html|access-date=24 December 2013|newspaper=TV2|date=24 December 2013|language=da}} A strong frontal system from the storm passed over continental Europe.

The Alps saw strong Foehn winds with a Christmas thaw and several warmth records broken. A peak gust was measured at the French station Iraty in the Pyrenees at {{cvt|228|km/h|mph}}. In the English Channel gusts up to {{cvt|148|km/h|mph}} were measured on 24 December. In the Swiss Alps winds over {{cvt|200|km/h|mph}} were recorded. MeteoSwiss recorded at Gütsch Andermatt ({{cvt|2287|m|ft|disp=sqbr}}) a peak wind of {{cvt|208|km/h|mph}}, the highest value since 1981).

Weather stations in many parts of Germany saw the warmest 24 December since records began. Binningen in Basel recorded {{cvt|17.1|C|F}} ({{cvt|5|-|8|C-change|disp=sqbr}} above normal). In Salzburg on the north edge of the Alps {{cvt|15.6|C|F}} made it the mildest 25 December seen. After the low-pressure fronts passed a wake vortex formed over the Alps, which brought to northern Italy severe storms and heavy snowfall in the Alps (Northern Ticino, Misox up to {{cvt|120|cm|in|disp=sqbr}} in a day, East Tyrol up to {{cvt|80|cm|in|disp=sqbr}}). San Bernardino, Switzerland saw the most one-day snowfall since measurements began (thus at least 1952).

class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"

! colspan="5"| UK Met Office maximum hourly gust speed 18:00 23 December to 07:00 24 December.{{cite news|title=Wind and rainfall data 23 to 24 December 2013 – Updated 1130|url=http://metofficenews.wordpress.com/2013/12/24/wind-and-rainfall-data-23-to-24-december-2013/|access-date=22 March 2014|newspaper=Met Office Blog|date=24 December 2014}}

colspan="1" | Site

| colspan="1" | Area

| colspan="1" | Elevation (m)

| colspan="1" | Max gust speed (mph)

| colspan="1" | Max gust speed (km/h)

Needles Old Battery

|Isle of Wight

|80

|{{convert|92|mph|km/h|disp=table}}

Berry Head

|Devon

|58

|{{convert|84|mph|km/h|disp=table}}

Langdon Bay

|Kent

|117

|{{convert|76|mph|km/h|disp=table}}

Gorleston

|Norfolk

|4

|{{convert|75|mph|km/h|disp=table}}

Manston

|Kent

|49

|{{convert|75|mph|km/h|disp=table}}

Mumbles Head

|West Glamorgan

|43

|{{convert|75|mph|km/h|disp=table}}

South Uist Range

|Western Isles

|4

|{{convert|75|mph|km/h|disp=table}}

Plymouth Mountbatten

|Devon

|50

|{{convert|74|mph|km/h|disp=table}}

Solent

|Hampshire

|9

|{{convert|74|mph|km/h|disp=table}}

Aberdaron

|Gwynedd

|95

|{{convert|73|mph|km/h|disp=table}}

North Wyke

|Devon

|177

|{{convert|73|mph|km/h|disp=table}}

class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"

! colspan="3"| UK Met Office 24 Hour Rainfall Totals 18 Dec 07:00 – 19 Dec 07:00, 2013.

colspan="1" | Site

| colspan="1" |Area

| colspan="1" |Precipitation (mm)

Kenley Airfield

|Greater London

|53.6

Charlwood

|Surrey

|41

Wych Cross

|East Sussex

|38.6

Alice Holt Lodge

|Hampshire

|33.8

Goudhurst

|Kent

|32.2

Middle Wallop

|Hampshire

|31.6

Frittenden

|Kent

|30.8

Cluanie Inn

|Ross & Cromarty

|30.8

Liscombe

|Somerset

|30.4

Hurn

|Dorset

|29.8

Larkhill

|Wiltshire

|29.2

=Transport=

In anticipation of severe weather, on 22 December rail companies announced that travellers with tickets for the following day would be permitted to travel that day instead.

Network Rail imposed speed restrictions from 16:00 on 23 December. Network Rail described the damage to rail infrastructure in southern England as worse than that seen during the St. Jude storm in October.{{cite news|last=Carter|first=Claire|title=Fifth person dies in storms sweeping UK and causing travel chaos|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/10536614/Fifth-person-dies-in-storms-sweeping-UK-and-causing-travel-chaos.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224232343/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/10536614/Fifth-person-dies-in-storms-sweeping-UK-and-causing-travel-chaos.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 December 2013|access-date=24 December 2013|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=24 December 2013}}

  • East Coast lifted ticket restrictions and announced it would run a scaled back service.
  • East Midlands Trains said it would run a full service on 23 December.
  • First Great Western Trains said there was major disruption between Exmouth and Barnstaple, Looe and Liskeard and Paignton.{{cite news|title=Storm causes power cut for hundreds in Cornwall|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25490384|access-date=23 December 2013|newspaper=BBC News|date=23 December 2013}}
  • Arriva CrossCountry services were not running south of Bristol.
  • A landslip at Coulsdon in Surrey damaged a train and closed the line.{{cite news|last=Hitchens|first=Nick|title=Trains between Coulsdon and Redhill halted due to landslide|url=http://www.epsomguardian.co.uk/news/9495750.Trains_cancelled_to_Coulsdon_after_landslide/|access-date=24 December 2013|newspaper=Epsom Guardian|date=24 December 2013}}
  • In France the railway services in Brittany between Brest and Saint Brieuc, and between Caen and Cherbourg in Normandy were disrupted, operations resuming on the lines on 24 December.{{cite news|title=Russian sailor swept overboard, power cuts, as Storm Dirk hits north-west France|url=http://www.english.rfi.fr/environment/20131224-russian-sailor-swept-overboard-power-cuts-storm-dirk-hits-north-west-france|access-date=24 December 2013|newspaper=RFI|date=24 December 2013}}
  • A commuter train derailed in Galicia Spain after a tree fell on the tracks, none of the passengers or crew were reported as injured.{{cite news|title=Severe storm in Europe: 5 dead, air travel snarled|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_24788154/severe-storm-europe-5-dead-air-travel-snarled|access-date=24 December 2013|newspaper=Mercury News|date=24 December 2013}}

In Finistere, France the Pont de l'Iroise was closed to traffic overnight on 23–24 December.{{cite news|last=Martin|first=Anne-Claude|title=Tempête Dirk : 240.000 foyers sans électricité|url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/2013/12/23/01016-20131223ARTFIG00646-tempete-la-plus-grande-vigilence-est-de-mise.php|access-date=24 December 2013|newspaper=Le Figaro|date=23 December 2013}} The Saint-Nazaire Bridge crossing the river Loire also had traffic restrictions in place. The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge of the Dartford Crossing was closed from 12pm on 23 December with traffic running in two directions through the Dartford Tunnel. The Sheppey Crossing was closed, with the Orwell Bridge also closed to high sided vehicles near Ipswich. Denmark saw few problems with transport, but high-sided and wind-sensitive vehicles were being warned to stay off the roads, especially the larger bridges.{{cite news|last=Ertmann |first=Berit |title=Juletrafikken glider stille og roligt |url=http://jyllands-posten.dk/indland/trafik/ECE6360959/juletrafikken-glider-stille-og-roligt/ |access-date=24 December 2013 |newspaper=Jyllands Posten |date=24 December 2013 |language=da |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225125643/http://jyllands-posten.dk/indland/trafik/ECE6360959/juletrafikken-glider-stille-og-roligt/ |archive-date=25 December 2013 }}

LD Lines cancelled boats between Le Havre and Dieppe to Portsmouth on 23 and 24 December, with a crossing between Saint-Nazaire and Gijon, Spain also cancelled. Brittany Ferries cancelled crossings from St Malo in Brittany and Ouistreham in Normandy to Portsmouth. Although the ferry from Cherbourg to Portsmouth was due to leave at 10.30pm on 23 December. Brittany Ferries also cancelled the Roscoff to Plymouth ferry. Irish Ferries cancelled the Jonathan Swift Fast Ferry between Holyhead and Dublin on the afternoon of 23 December. 24 December saw all Caledonian MacBrayne ferry services to the Scottish Western Isles cancelled, with the company hoping to run a relief service on Christmas Day. The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company also ran a Christmas Day service, after cancelling sailings, which the company said had not happened since the late 1970s.{{cite news|title=Storms lead to 'exceptionally unusual' Christmas Day ferry|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-25503262|access-date=7 January 2014|newspaper=BBC News|date=24 December 2014}}

The Port of Dover closed at 21:00 23 December due to strong winds and high seas, reopening at 07:30 the morning after.{{cite news|last=Payne|first=Sam|title=Latest travel: Dover Port reopens but still train cancellations|url=http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/Travel-update-Sheppey-Crossing-reopens-train/story-20361176-detail/story.html#axzz2oONY4ysC|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131224140628/http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/Travel-update-Sheppey-Crossing-reopens-train/story-20361176-detail/story.html%23axzz2oONY4ysC|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 December 2013|access-date=24 December 2013|newspaper=This is Kent|date=24 December 2013}} Reports that several ferries spent the night unable to dock riding out the storm in the English Channel. The ferry MV Cap Finistere left on Sunday 22 on a service to Bilbao but turned back to shelter near Brittany after encountering a storm in Bay of Biscay; injured passengers had to be airlifted from the ferry.{{cite news|title=Stranded on a ferry: 'Injured people air-lifted to safety'|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25500609|access-date=24 December 2013|newspaper=BBC News|date=23 December 2013}} In the English Channel sea conditions were described as the worst in 16 years.{{cite news|title=UK weather: Heavy sea conditions in Southampton|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25500310|access-date=24 December 2013|newspaper=BBC News|date=23 December 2013}} Cargo ship Horst B ran aground in strong winds in the Faroe Islands.{{cite news|title=VIDEO Nærmyndir: Farmaskipið Horst B siglt á land|url=http://kvf.fo/netvarp/sv/2013/12/23/masterskip|access-date=24 December 2013|newspaper=Kringvarp Føroya|date=24 December 2013|language=fo}} A cargo ship reported losing 30 containers overboard off the coast of Brittany.

All flights to and from the Scilly Isles were cancelled and rescheduled until 24 December. Flights to and from Southampton Airport were badly affected by the storm.{{cite news|title=UK weather: Trains disrupted with wind blowing trees on line|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25499044|access-date=23 December 2013|newspaper=BBC News|date=23 December 2013}} Gatwick Airport's north terminal was affected by power disruptions on 24 December, stranding thousands of passengers as 145 flights were cancelled due to flooding of electricity substations at the airport.{{cite news|title=Gatwick Christmas flood communications were 'poor'|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-26353984|access-date=28 February 2014|newspaper=BBC News|date=26 February 2014}} Heathrow cancelled a couple of dozen flights on 23 December. Bristol Airport and Glasgow Airport also reported some disruption. In Spain delays and cancellations were reported at airports in Bilbao, Asturias, Santander and Vigo.{{cite news|title=Christmas storm batters more countries in Europe|url=http://www.euronews.com/2013/12/24/christmas-storm-moves-batters-more-countries-in-europe/|access-date=25 December 2013|newspaper=Euronews|date=24 December 2013|archive-date=26 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226055042/http://www.euronews.com/2013/12/24/christmas-storm-moves-batters-more-countries-in-europe/|url-status=dead}}

=Energy supplies=

In France 240,000 customers were left without electricity, of which 130,000 were in Brittany. In Cornwall, 2,700 homes were reported to be without power, with 100,000 homes reported without power across Southern England. A maximum of 88,000 homes were left without power in Spanish Galicia. Ireland saw up to 30,000 customers without power from the storm.{{cite news|title=Electricity restored to most homes|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/1225/494700-weather/|access-date=25 December 2013|newspaper=RTÉ|date=25 December 2013}}

=Flooding=

{{See also|2013–14 United Kingdom winter floods}}

Saturated ground led to localised flooding in southern England (see first paragraph of Impact). A major incident was declared in the region of Leatherhead and Dorking with Fire Brigade unions calling off a planned strike in Surrey and Kent. An Environment Agency spokesman said flooding in Kent and Sussex were the worst to hit the area since Autumn 2000. In France the Breton town of Morlaix reported flooding.

Casualties

In France a 12-year-old boy was killed by a falling wall in Vire, lower Normandy. A Russian seaman was missing from the cargo ship Victoriaborg {{cvt|220|km|mi}} northwest of Brest in the storm. In the United Kingdom casualties included two men in England and one woman in Wales, with a further woman casualty in a car accident in Shropshire in what was described as "difficult weather conditions".{{cite news|title=UK storm: Damage disrupts travel as more severe weather hits|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25502730|access-date=7 February 2014|newspaper=BBC|date=24 December 2013}}

Aftermath

File:Christmas Storm Damage (geograph 3803061).jpg

Manuel Valls the French Minister of the Interior while visiting the heavily affected region of Brittany, said an error had been made in the forecasting and preparation for the Dirk storm.{{cite news|title=We underestimated storm risk: Valls|url=http://www.connexionfrance.com/manuel-valls-we-underestimated-storm-risk-15328-view-article.html|access-date=2 January 2014|newspaper=The Connexion|date=30 December 2013}} He said that officials had severely underestimated the danger posed, and ordered Prefects to investigate what preparations and warnings were undertaken, saying that decrees describing the worst affected regions as 'natural catastrophes' (a constitutional French designation{{cite web|title=France |url=http://www.wfcatprogrammes.com/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=14725&name=DLFE-708.pdf |publisher=World Forum of Catastrophe Programmes |access-date=2 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102201104/http://www.wfcatprogrammes.com/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=14725&name=DLFE-708.pdf |archive-date=2 January 2014 }}) would be published rapidly.

On 21 January 2014 the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom held a one-off evidence session on power disruption during Christmas and the New Year.{{cite news|title=Power disruption due to severe weather|url=http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/energy-and-climate-change-committee/news/power-disruption/|access-date=13 February 2014|newspaper=UK Parliament|date=21 January 2014}} During the session the Energy Networks Association announced that around 750,000 customers lost electricity during the stormy period over Christmas, with 93-95% of these reconnected within 24 hours.{{cite news|title=Statement following Select Committee on storms|url=http://www.energynetworks.org/news/press-releases/2014/january/statement-following-select-committee-on-storms.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222070955/http://www.energynetworks.org/news/press-releases/2014/january/statement-following-select-committee-on-storms.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 February 2014|access-date=13 February 2014|newspaper=Electricity Networks Association|date=21 January 2014}} The House of Commons Energy Select Committee on 21 January 2014 was critical of the speed at which UK power networks responded, however the company{{which|date=February 2019}} said that it was now much quicker than it had been in the past at responding to incidents. Mark Mathieson, managing director of SSE's electricity networks, told the committee on 21 January that: "It was just the impact of the event. It was a massive event. Certainly we haven't seen damage like this in the south back from the early [19]90s and even back to the Great Storm of 1987".{{cite news|last=Brinded|first=Lianna|title=MPs Slam Big Six Energy Chiefs for 'Utter Complacency' Over Christmas Storms|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/mps-slam-big-six-energy-chiefs-utter-complacency-over-christmas-storms-1433200|access-date=22 January 2014|newspaper=International Business Times|date=21 January 2014}} He said that "tried and tested" plans made by the power companies struggled as wind speeds escalated significantly, and predictions failed to estimate the duration of strong winds which resulted in greater damage, coupled with the national reach of the storm which prevented regional distribution companies relying on mutual aid from other regions.{{cite news|title=Business Energy industry MPs attack energy firms for delays restoring power after Christmas storms|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/21/mps-attack-power-networks-delays-christmas-storms|access-date=22 January 2014|newspaper=The Guardian|date=21 January 2014}}

Gatwick Airport conducted its own investigation into the chaotic disruption caused at the airport on Christmas Eve, which saw police being brought in to help staff deal with passengers. The airport accepted all the investigation's recommendations and allocated £30 million for their implementation.

On 3 February Perils AG announced an initial insured property loss estimate from the storm at €275 million,{{cite news|title=PERILS: €275m first loss estimate for European windstorm Dirk|url=http://www.artemis.bm/blog/2014/02/03/perils-e275m-first-loss-estimate-for-european-windstorm-dirk/|access-date=4 February 2014|newspaper=Artemis|date=3 February 2014}} which was subsequently raised to €352 million in the second loss estimate released 23 March 2014. The French Federation of Insurance Companies (FFSA) estimated the insured damage caused by storm Dirk to amount to 100 million euros in France,{{cite news|last=Peigné|first=Thierry|title=Tempête Dirk : 100 millions d'euros de dégâts|url=http://bretagne.france3.fr/2014/01/23/tempete-dirk-100-millions-d-euros-de-degats-400745.html|access-date=23 February 2014|newspaper=Trance TV 3|date=23 January 2014}} causing more destruction and costing more to French insurance companies than tropical Cyclone Bejisa to Réunion and Mauritius in early 2014.{{cite news|last=Le Roux|first=Jean-Baptiste|title=Bretagne : la tempête Dirk a coûté 100 millions d'euros aux assureurs|url=http://www.economiematin.fr/ecoquick/item/8043-tempete-bretagne-cout-dirk-assurances|access-date=23 February 2014|newspaper=Economie Matin|date=23 January 2014|language=fr}}

References

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