2013–2014 Atlantic winter storms in Europe
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox storm
| name = 2013–2014 Atlantic winter storms in Europe
| image = NAtlanticwindspeedanomjan-feblrg.png
| image alt =
| caption = NOAA North Atlantic wind speed anomaly January–February 2014
| type = Extratropical cyclones
European windstorms
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{{Infobox windstorm season
| prevseason =
| nextseason = 2015-2016 (British Isles)
}}
2013–2014 Atlantic winter storms in Europe were a series of winter storms affecting areas of Atlantic Europe and beyond. The French Atlantic coastal regions (chiefly Brittany), South West and Southern England, West Wales, Ireland, Spanish Atlantic coastal regions (particularly Galicia) were especially affected by a "conveyor belt" series of high-precipitation storms (mostly not exceptional for their winds) and by high tides. Many storms were explosively deepened by a strong jet stream, many deepening below 950 hPa. The repeated formation of large deep lows over the Atlantic brought storm surges and large waves which coincided with some of the highest astronomical tides of the year and caused coastal damage. The low pressure areas brought heavy rainfalls which led to flooding, which became most severe over parts of England such as at the Somerset Levels. The repeated storms fit into a pattern of disturbed weather in the Northern Hemisphere, which saw from November 2013 a disturbance to the jet stream in the western Pacific, which propagated eastwards bringing a warm winter to Alaska, drought to California, and repeated cold air outbreaks to the eastern USA where the early 2014 North American cold wave resulted.
Autumn 2013
The end of October brought the St. Jude storm, ranked within the top 10 most severe storms in the autumn across southern England in the last 40 years.{{cite news|title=2013: Average figures mask some notable highlights|url=https://metofficenews.wordpress.com/2013/12/31/2013-average-figures-mask-some-notable-highlights/|accessdate=9 February 2014|newspaper=Met Office News Blog|date=31 December 2013}} following the St. Jude storm a series of low pressure systems swept across western Europe bringing winds and rain, though not developing anywhere near as deeply as the St. Jude storm. A low named Godehard{{ref|a|[Note 1]}} was the strongest of these low pressure areas and brought some disruption to Wales, with a gust of {{cvt|89|mph|km/h}} recorded at Mumbles.{{cite news|title=Storm-force winds bring damage and 10,000 homes lose power|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-24785318|accessdate=11 November 2013|newspaper=BBC News|date=3 November 2013}} Storm-force winds left 10,000 homes without electricity in Wales on the first weekend of November 2013. On 2 November the M4 Motorway was closed between Margam and Pyle due to the weather, and a roof canopy at the Princess of Wales Hospital Bridgend was damaged. The old Severn Bridge on the M48 motorway was closed, with speed restrictions in place on the Second Severn Crossing. The M4 at Briton Ferry – where the motorway crosses the Neath – also saw speed restrictions and the Britannia Bridge to Anglesey and the Cleddau Bridge in Pembrokeshire also saw speed restrictions enacted. Natural Resources Wales warned of localised flooding with sea spray and overtopping of sea defences along the Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Newport coasts. The low pressure also brought large waves to Aberystwyth which caused some disruption to seafront properties.{{cite news|title=Aberystwyth seafront like 'war zone' after storm waves|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-24801060|accessdate=26 August 2014|publisher=BBC News|date=4 November 2013}}
November/December 2013
{{main|2013 Nordic storms|Cyclone Xaver|l2=Xaver/2013 North Sea tidal surge}}
Late November and early December saw an area of high pressure positioned to the west of Britain and Ireland, this directed the westerly path of weather systems moving over the Atlantic to the north of the UK, along which the storms developed before impacting across the Nordic countries. Lows moving to the north of the United Kingdom meant that November was fairly dry for the country. December saw long periods of calm conditions in France also with dry and sunny weather predominating. A change in the weather regime began as active depressions brought strong rain and snowfall to the mountains towards the month end. Until 13 December, France (and UK and Ireland) were protected by a powerful anticyclone stretched from the Maghreb to the British Isles, which deflected the Atlantic storm track north into Scandinavia.{{cite news|title=BILAN DÉCEMBRE 2013 : grand calme avant les tempêtes, de la douceur|url=https://www.meteo-paris.com/actualites/bilan-decembre-2013-grand-calme-avant-les-tempetes-de-la-douceur-30-decembre-2013.html|accessdate=29 March 2014|newspaper=Meteo-Paris.com|date=30 December 2013|language=French}} The Nordic nations were affected by a series of storms, including Hilde (17 November),{{cite news|title=Norske ekstremvær får navn|url=https://met.no/Meteorologi/A_varsle_varet/Varsling_av_farlig_var/Norske_ekstremvar_far_navn/|accessdate=18 November 2015|publisher=Norwegian Meteorological Institute|language=Norwegian}} Oskari (1 dec),{{cite news|title=2013 – an exceptionally warm year|url=https://en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/press-release/1270258|accessdate=18 November 2015|publisher=Finnish Meteorological Institute|date=3 January 2014}} Xaver (5–7 Dec), Ivar (12 Dec) and Zaki and Adam (14–15 Dec). Cyclone Xaver is predominantly known for the North sea storm surge of 5 December in the UK. The high pressure over Britain, Ireland and the Atlantic moved east during mid December, opening the way for areas of low pressure to reach western Europe. During mid-December a strong temperature gradient established over eastern North America (temperatures in New York {{convert|21|C|F|disp=sqbr}}, Montreal {{convert|-7|C|F|disp=sqbr}}), which enhanced the jetstream in the North Atlantic.{{cite journal|last1=Burt|first1=Stephen|title=Britain's lowest barometric pressure since 1886|journal=Weather|date=March 2014|volume=69|issue=3|pages=79–81|doi=10.1002/wea.2285|bibcode = 2014Wthr...69...79B |doi-access=free}}{{cite news|last=Hammond|first=John|title=Why is it so stormy?|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/25508106|accessdate=24 December 2013|newspaper=Weather BBC News|date=24 December 2013}} The lows moved under this powerful jet stream where they 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|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=24 December 2013}}
Christmas and New Year storms
=Bernd (18–19 December)=
{{Infobox storm
| name = Bernd
| type =
| image = BerndDec2013.jpg
| image alt =
| caption =
| formed = 17 December 2013
| active =
| dissipated = 21 December 2013
| countries affected =
| pressure = {{cvt|947|hPa|inHg}}{{cite web|url=http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/2013/brack/bracka20131219.gif|title=December 19, 2013 surface analysis|work=Met Office|accessdate=26 December 2013}}
| highest winds =
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The first storm of this period was named Bernd,{{ref|a|[Note 1]}} it was also given the name Emily by some press, after Emily Brontë the author, who died on 19 December 165 years ago, and who wrote Wuthering Heights which featured constant stormy weather.{{cite news|last=Rao|first=Nathan|title=Hold on to your hats! 100mph Storm Emily will roar in tonight with 'a sting in her tail'|url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/449277/Hold-on-to-your-hats-100mph-Storm-Emily-will-roar-in-tonight-with-a-sting-in-her-tail|accessdate=9 February 2014|newspaper=Daily Express|date=18 December 2013}}{{cite news|title=Christmas will be a washout as storms continue|url=http://travel.aol.co.uk/2013/12/19/christmas-weather-forecast-wet-and-windy-snow/|accessdate=19 December 2013|newspaper=AOL Travel|date=19 December 2013}}{{cite news|last=Cromie|first=Claire|title=Storm Emily's 80mph winds could disrupt Northern Ireland power supplies and transport again|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/storm-emilys-80mph-winds-could-disrupt-northern-ireland-power-supplies-and-transport-again-29849876.html|accessdate=18 March 2014|newspaper=Belfast Telegraph|date=18 December 2014}} Met Éireann issued red warnings for wind at 9:00am on 18 December for counties Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo. The UK Met Office issued orange warnings for the Highlands, Western Isles, Strathclyde and Northern Ireland.{{cite news|title=Storm Emily: Met Office Upgrade Weather Warning To Amber For Scotland And Northern Ireland|url=http://www.weatherforecast.co.uk/blog/storm-emily-met-office-upgrade-weather-warning-amber-scotland-northern-ireland/|accessdate=15 March 2014|newspaper=Weather Forecast blog|date=18 December 2013}}
| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
! colspan="5"| UK Met Office maximum hourly gust speed 18 Dec 18:00 – 19 Dec 07:00.{{cite news|title=Updated Wind and Rainfall totals for 18th to 19th December|url=https://metofficenews.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/updated-wind-and-rainfall-totals-for-18th-to-19th-december/|accessdate=18 March 2014|newspaper=Met Office|date=19 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
|80 |{{convert|94|mph|km/h|disp=table}} |
| South Uist Range
|Western Isles |4 |{{convert|90|mph|km/h|disp=table}} |
| Tiree
|9 |{{convert|87|mph|km/h|disp=table}} |
| Plymouth, Mountbatten
|50 |{{convert|85|mph|km/h|disp=table}} |
| Castlederg
|49 |{{convert|84|mph|km/h|disp=table}} |
| Pembrey Sands
|3 |{{convert|82|mph|km/h|disp=table}} |
| Capel Curig
|216 |{{convert|81|mph|km/h|disp=table}} |
| Stornoway Airport
|Western Isles |15 |{{convert|77|mph|km/h|disp=table}} |
| Altnaharra
|81 |{{convert|77|mph|km/h|disp=table}} |
| Fair Isle
|57 |{{convert|76|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) |
| Tredegar
|38.4 |
| Cardinham, Bodmin
|35 |
| Whitechurch
|34.4 |
| Tyndrum
|32.2 |
| Libanus
|30.8 |
| Shap
|30.6 |
| Okehampton
|30.6 |
| Keswick
|28.8 |
| Tulloch Bridge
|27 |
| Bala
|26.4 |
{{clear}}
=Dirk (23–24 December)=
{{Infobox storm
| name = Dirk
| type =
| image = Dirk 23 12.jpg
| image alt =
| caption =
| formed = 21 December 2013
| active =
| dissipated = 28 December 2013
| countries affected =
| pressure = {{cvt|927|hPa|inHg}}
| highest winds =
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}}
{{main|Cyclone Dirk}}
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|accessdate=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 jetstream in the North Atlantic. The low moved under this powerful jet stream where it explosively deepened before reaching Western Europe.
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 Aatlantic 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|accessdate=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|df=dmy-all}}{{cite news|title=Winter storms, December 2013 to January 2014|url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/interesting/2013-decwind|accessdate=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|accessdate=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|accessdate=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 the lowest 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 932.2 hPa 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|accessdate=7 January 2014|newspaper=Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute|date=27 December 2013|language=Swedish|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 {{cvt|930.3|hPa|inHg}}, set at Vagar airport during the passage of the Braer Storm of January 1993.
{{clear}}
=Erich (26–27 December)=
{{Infobox storm
| name = Erich
| type =
| image = Erich2013.gif
| image alt =
| caption =
| formed = 25 December 2013
| active =
| dissipated = 1 January 2014
| countries affected =
| pressure = {{cvt|944|hPa|inHg}}
| highest winds =
| gust =
| maximum snow =
| power outages =
| damages =
| fatalities =
| areas affected = }}
| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
! colspan="5"| UK Met Office maximum hourly gust speed 00:00 27 December to 14:30 27 December.{{cite news|title=Wind and rainfall data 27 December 2013|url=https://metofficenews.wordpress.com/2013/12/27/wind-and-rainfall-data-27-december-2013/|accessdate=22 March 2014|newspaper=Met Office|date=27 December 2013}} |
| colspan="1" | Site
| colspan="1" | Area | colspan="1" | Elevation (m) | colspan="1" | Max gust speed (mph) | colspan="1" | Max gust speed (km/h) |
| Aberdaron
|Gwynedd |95 |{{convert|102|mph|km/h|disp=table}} |
| Capel Curig
|Gwynedd |216 |{{convert|87|mph|km/h|disp=table}} |
| Mumbles Head
|West Glamorgan |43 |{{convert|85|mph|km/h|disp=table}} |
| St Bees Head
|Cumbria |124 |{{convert|85|mph|km/h|disp=table}} |
| Inverbervie
|Kincardineshire |134 |{{convert|81|mph|km/h|disp=table}} |
| Valley
|Gwynedd |10 |{{convert|81|mph|km/h|disp=table}} |
| Lake Vyrnwy
|Powys |360 |{{convert|78|mph|km/h|disp=table}} |
| Mona
|Anglesey |60 |{{convert|78|mph|km/h|disp=table}} |
| Needles Old Battery
|Isle of Wight |80 |{{convert|78|mph|km/h|disp=table}} |
| Dundrennan
|Kirkcudbrightshire |113 |{{convert|77|mph|km/h|disp=table}} |
| Pembrey Sands
|Dyfed |3 |{{convert|76|mph|km/h|disp=table}} |
File:Porthcawlwave2013.jpg 27 December]]
{{clear}}
=Felix & Gerhard=
A stormy period between Christmas and New Year followed as Weather fronts associated with the lows Felix (30 December) and Gerhard (1 January) passed over the UK which brought further rainfall and some stormy conditions.
The Felix low was more remote from European mainland and brought strong tightening of isobars across NW France, where winds of {{cvt|141|km/h|mph}} were reported in Camaret-sur-Mer, Brittany. Low near Iceland brought winds up to {{cvt|140|km/h|mph}} to that country, and disrupted traffic and heavy rainfall and brought more flooding to the United Kingdom.{{cite news|title=Dépression Felix : coup de vent en Bretagne et Normandie|url=https://www.meteo-paris.com/actualites/depression-felix-coup-de-vent-en-bretagne-et-normandie-30-decembre-2013.html|accessdate=29 March 2014|newspaper=Meteo-Paris.com|date=30 December 2013|language=French}} At Croyde Bay in north Devon a woman was rescued from sea who later died on 31 December.{{cite news|title=Devon: Woman Dies After Being Swept Out To Sea|url=http://news.sky.com/story/1188913/devon-woman-dies-after-being-swept-out-to-sea|accessdate=15 March 2014|newspaper=Sky News|date=31 December 2014}}
27-year-old man swept out to sea on Loe Bar Porthleven Cornwall New Year's Eve, and on 1 January a man was found dead on the banks of River Torridge in Bideford, Devon.{{cite news|last=Keeble|first=Andy|title=Body of man discovered on banks of River Torridge|url=http://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/news/body_of_man_discovered_on_banks_of_river_torridge_1_3167575|accessdate=15 March 2014|newspaper=North Devon Gazette|date=1 January 2014}} Over the holiday period, several New Year outdoor swimming events were cancelled.{{citation needed|date=November 2018}}
{{clear}}
Notes
- {{note|a}}Naming conventions (where possible) follow those adopted by the Free University of Berlin's [http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/adopt-a-vortex/ adopt a vortex] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070227205437/http://www.met.fu-berlin.de/adopt-a-vortex/ |date=27 February 2007 }} scheme. Names from other sources referenced in article.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmenvfru/240/240.pdf House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Winter floods 2013–14]
- [http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/media/pdf/1/2/Recent_Storms_Briefing_Final_SLR_20140211.pdf Met Office and Centre for Ecology and Hydrology: The Recent Storms and Floods in the UK, 9 February 2014.]
- [http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/media/pdf/p/j/14_0086NorthSeaWeather_FINAL_WEB.pdf Met Office: Marine weather analysis - December 2013 & January 2014]
- [https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/356341/S18_report_2013_14_Final_v2.pdf Environment Agency report]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20151226033035/http://www.met.ie/UserMediaUpl/file/WinterWx13_14.pdf Met Eireann: What’s up with the Weather this winter? Aidan Murphy 14 February 2014.]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304124103/http://www.met.ie/climate/MonthlyWeather/clim-2014-win.pdf Met Eireann: Winter 2013/2014, 3 March 2014]
- Environment Agency Flickr Galleries:
:*[https://www.flickr.com/photos/environment-agency/sets/72157637051146196/ St Jude's day storm]
:*[https://www.flickr.com/photos/environment-agency/sets/72157638440122886/ December 2013 East Coast Surge]
:*[https://www.flickr.com/photos/environment-agency/sets/72157638949139923/ Tidal Surge recovery December 2013]
:*[https://www.flickr.com/photos/environment-agency/sets/72157638975945573/ December 2013 flooding]
:*[https://www.flickr.com/photos/environment-agency/sets/72157639353151523/ January 2014 flooding]
:*[https://www.flickr.com/photos/environment-agency/sets/72157640382676353/ February 2014 flooding]
{{European windstorms}}
{{UK and Ireland windstorm seasons}}
{{Weather events in the United Kingdom}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:European Windstorm}}