2017–18 European windstorm season
The 2017–2018 European windstorm season was the third instance of seasonal European windstorm naming. France, Spain and Portugal took part in winter storm naming for the first time this season. The season started on 12 September 2017 with the formation of Storm Aileen. It was subsequently marked by many high-impact storms which caused severe loss of life and widespread damage, including Ophelia, Eleanor, David and Emma. The season concluded on 17 June 2018 with the dissipation of off-season Storm Hector. Background and naming. In 2015, the Met Office and Met Éireann announced a pilot  project to name storm warnings as part of the "Name our Storms" project for wind storms and asked the public for suggestions. The meteorological offices produced a full list of names for 2015–16 and 2016–17, common to both the UK and Ireland. A new list of names was released on 6 September 2017 for the 2017–18 season. Names in the UK will be based on the National Severe Weather Warning Service, when a storm is assessed to have the potential for an Amber 'be prepared' or Red 'take action (danger to life)' warning. A storm will be named when it  is deemed able to have a "substantial" impact on the UK or Ireland. They will be taken from the list, in alphabetical order, alternating between male and female names – the same naming convention that is used by the United States for tropical cyclones. In the case of storms resulting from ex-tropical storms and hurricanes, the original name allocated by the US National Hurricane Center will be used, an example of which during this season being Ophelia. Met Éireann name any storm which triggers a status Orange or Red weather warning for wind. The basis for such, as outlined on  their weather warning service, are mean wind speeds in excess of or gusts over . Similarly, the Met Office name storms that have the potential to cause medium (Amber) or high (Red) impacts to the UK. It describes the wind strength relative to observations such as "falling trees or tiles, other items like garden furniture being blown around and even a number of properties left without electrical power." On 1 December 2017, the national meteorological services of Spain (Aemet), France (Météo-France) and Portugal (IPMA) announced that they would begin naming storms affecting their nations in co-ordination, under the auspices  of EUMETNET. United Kingdom and Ireland. The Met Office's and Met Éireann's announcement of the season's names also noted that Fionn is to be pronounced "Fyunn", Niall is to be pronounced "Nye-ul" and Tali is to be pronounced "Tarly". Other naming systems. One former Atlantic hurricane transitioned into a European windstorm and retained its name as assigned by the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida: Another internationally recognised, but unofficial, naming system for European windstorms is the "Adopt a Vortex" program of the Free University of Berlin. Participants can ask the FUB to give their names , for example as a birthday present, to high or low pressure systems that affect European weather. The naming service of the FUB is commercial and is the main meteorological naming system in Germany. The names Xavier and Herwart were given by the FUB to major storms this season. Its naming program is recognised in some other European countries, although the British-Irish and the French-Spanish-Portuguese naming co-operations are gaining importance. Furthermore, besides of the three internationally recognised naming systems (the two European co-operations and the FUB system), many European countries (Norway, Finland, Denmark etc.) give their  own names to cyclones. One of the 16 storms of the season was not named by the three main naming systems: instead it was called "Cora" in Norway and "Aku" in Finland. Season summary. The 2017–18 UK and Ireland windstorm season began on September with storm Aileen, which brought strong winds to Scotland and Northern England on 13 September. Then followed Ophelia which was once a Category 3 major hurricane and the easternmost major hurricane on record; a red (severe) wind warning was issued for many parts in Ireland. Less than a week later, storm Brian rapidly intensified from a  trough of low pressure out in the Atlantic. After a rather quiet November without any named systems (like quiet Septembers and Octobers of the previous two years), Caroline and Dylan formed in December followed by Eleanor early in January 2018. In the middle of January, the extremely deep and large arctic low Fionn affected both the UK and Ireland and steered David, a smaller but more intense storm, on a westerly track over Ireland, the UK and Central Europe. The last storm in January was Georgina, a cyclone that mainly affected Ireland and Scotland. A total of 10 storms affected  both the UK and Ireland in that season. Three of these – Ophelia, David and Emma – were named by foreign agencies. Six storms were named by the new co-operation of the meteorological services of France, Spain and Portugal. Two of these – David and Emma – also affected Britain and Ireland significantly. The impact of the deadly winter storm Emma was intensified by the collision with the Beast from the East cold wave (anticyclone Hartmut). Cora, another significant windstorm, affected Scandinavia, Norway and Sweden in particular. Cora delivered the highest known gust of the European windstorm season. As a European total, 18  windstorms (one "off-season") affected the continent . Storms. Storm Aileen. Aileen formed on 12 September, with the Met Office issuing an Amber wind warning, becoming the first named storm of the season. Aileen affected Cheshire, Lancashire, Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire during the evening of 12 September and into the morning of 13 September with winds of over . Gusts up to around were also seen in exposed locations such as along coastlines and over high ground in these areas. A Yellow weather warning for rain was also issued for parts of Northern Ireland, northern England and southern Scotland, as Aileen  dropped of rain within 6–9 hours in these areas, causing some disruption from localised flooding. The heaviest rainfall was recorded at Bainbridge, North Yorkshire, with falling overnight. During Aileen, approximately 60,000 homes in Wales and almost 9,000 across England suffered power cuts. The strongest gusts, of , were recorded at The Needles, Isle of Wight. The strongest gust on mainland Britain, of , was recorded at Mumbles, Wales. Aileen later crossed the North Sea and intensified, going on to affect Germany, where it was known as "". Ex-Hurricane Ophelia. On 12 October, the Met Office issued yellow weather warnings relating to the  extra-tropical remnants of the former Hurricane Ophelia, estimated to affect the UK and Ireland on 16 October. Met Éireann issued an update on 12 October in response to media coverage about possible impacts which might occur in Ireland, highlighting the uncertainties still in the forecast modelling. Met Éireann asked people to keep up to date with changes in the forecast as the storm evolved and confidence in any likely impacts increased. On 14 October Met Éireann issued a red warning for the counties of Galway, Mayo, Clare, Cork and Kerry for 16–17 October, (extended to Limerick, Waterford and Wexford  on 15 October) with an orange warning for the rest of the country. Red warnings were extended again on the evening of 15 October to the whole of Ireland. On 15 October the Met Office issued amber warnings for the six counties of Northern Ireland, and updated the yellow warnings in place for England, Wales and Scotland. The Met Office updated its amber warnings to include parts of west Wales, southwest Scotland and the Isle of Man on the morning of 16 October. In County Waterford, a woman was killed when a tree fell on her car, caused by the  winds from Ophelia's remnants. A man died near Dundalk, County Louth, after a tree struck his car. A man was killed in Cahir, County Tipperary, while trying to clear a fallen tree with a chainsaw. Two more people were subsequently killed in Ireland from the combined effects of Ophelia and the subsequent Storm Brian. Storm Brian. On 13 October, the US National Hurricane Center designated a tropical wave in the Atlantic Ocean to the east of the Lesser Antilles as Invest 92L, giving the system a 40% chance of developing into a tropical cyclone. The NHC continued monitoring the  system as it moved slowly north-west, bringing heavy rainfall and flooding to Puerto Rico and the British and US Virgin Islands before turning to the north-east. However, on 16 October, the NHC discontinued monitoring the system as it passed Bermuda without any considerable impact, having failed to transition into a tropical cyclone. Subsequently, the area of low pressure began to rapidly intensify as it accelerated eastward across the open Atlantic, developing into a powerful extratropical cyclone. On 19 October, Met Éireann issued an orange wind warning for 21 October in counties Galway and Mayo, thus naming storm Brian . On 20 October Met Éireann extended orange warnings to the counties of Clare, Kerry, Waterford and Wexford. The UK Environment Agency warned that storm Brian could combine with high tides and lead to a heightened risk of flooding on the south coast of the UK. Brian moved over Ireland close to Galway around 07:00 local time on 21 October. A 67-year-old man drowned after being swept from the sea wall at Dawlish during the storm. Two more people were killed in Ireland from the combined effects of Brian and the prior Hurricane Ophelia. Storm Caroline. The Met Office  named storm Caroline on 5 December to affect Scotland on 7 December, with a yellow warning for wind, which was upgraded on 6 December to an amber warning for the Western Isles, Northern Isles and northern Scotland. Met Éireann issued a yellow warning for wind to the counties of Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare and Kerry. Storm Ana. Storm Ana was the first storm to ever be officially named by Météo-France, Aemet and IPMA. It formed on 10 December as an area of low pressure that underwent explosive cyclogenesis to the northwest of Iberia passing through the Bay  of Biscay into France on the morning of 11 December. It then took a northeasterly direction to affect the Low Countries, Germany, Austria, Scandinavia and eventually Russia. The highest gusts from Ana reached in the Austrian Alps, and its minimal pressure reached on the morning of 11 December. Severe flooding was reported in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy on 12 December, caused by heavy rainfall from a trailing front from Ana and rapid snowmelt due to a large temperature rise caused by Ana's passage. Damage from flooding in Italy reached €105 million. Storm Bruno. On 26  December 2017, wind warnings were issued in Spain for an area of low pressure that was expected to undergo explosive cyclogenesis. Ultimately, Storm Bruno brought over of snow, wind gusts exceeding , and waves as high as to Spain. One fatality occurred after a man drowned while windsurfing in rough seas. Another fatality occurred after a man was swept off his balcony by high winds and onto his patio, where he immediately succumbed to his injuries. Storm Dylan. Storm Dylan was named by Met Éireann on 29 December. It brought strong winds to the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and southern  Scotland overnight 30–31 December. The north and west coasts of the island of Ireland were expected to be affected by gusts of up to . Storm Carmen. Storm Carmen began as an area of low pressure in late December 2017. The storm went under some intensification before affecting France and other western European countries with strong winds. A man was killed by Carmen as a tree had fallen on his car during new year celebrations, and a wind turbine was blown over in the western Vendée region due to extreme winds. Storm Eleanor. Named by Met Éireann on 1 January with  Amber Wind Warning in force for 2 January. Forecast to bring gusts of into the evening. The Met Office also issued a Yellow Wind Warning for 2–3 January, only to upgrade it to an amber warning across Northern England and Southern Scotland 3 hours prior making landfall in the UK. As Eleanor neared Ireland, it brought heavy rainfall and squally weather followed by very strong gusts of in Knock Airport in Republic of Ireland. As Eleanor tracked further North-east she continued to strengthen as a sting-jet like feature was evident, however, it did not form. Eleanor also produced  thunderstorms and intense hail across England and Wales. The worst damage happened in Northern Ireland. According to the UK Met Office, gusts reached in Orlock Head, while a mountain weather station in Great Dun Fell recorded gusts. Storm Fionn. On 16 January Met Éireann issued orange marine weather warnings for wind to storm force from Roches Point to Slyne Head to Malin Head, along with orange national weather warnings for Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Cork and Kerry for 16–17 January, so naming storm Fionn. This system, also called Evi by the FUB, was meteorologically speaking a very deep  and large Icelandic low that bottomed out at a central pressure of and dominated the weather in the North Atlantic and Northern Europe for several days in the middle of January 2018. This low had a large and intense wind field on its southern flank, fuelling a strong jetstream that steered the less deep but much more catastrophic Cyclone David into the UK and Ireland and Central Europe on 18 January. After the arrival of David, Fionn weakened and David became the more dominant low, leading to the decay and dissipation of Fionn. As Fionn neared Ireland, it brought heavy  winds to Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Clare, Leitrim and Cork. On 16 January the Met Office sent out a clarifying tweet that Fionn was only expected to bring strong winds to western Ireland, with impacts to the UK to be expected to be below their warning thresholds. In the tweet they pointed to a separate weather system to affect the UK on 17–18 January, later named David by MeteoFrance, this name was reciprocally adopted by the Met Office and Met Eireann. The low David was named Friederike by the Free University of Berlin, with the name Georgina at that time remaining  unused. Met Éireann's decision to name Fionn was met with some criticism from some meteorologists, Liam Dutton tweeted that he thought the warning did not strictly accompany a cyclonic area of low pressure, but a "squeeze of isobars" circulating a low hundreds of kilometres (miles) distant in the region of the Faroes, stating that it "needed no more than a standard weather warning". He highlighted the difference in criteria for naming storms employed by the Met Office and Met Éireann (the UK Met Office uses an impact-based criteria, based on the level of expected impacts the weather will  bring, whereas the Irish Met Éireann uses fixed numerical criteria, meaning a storm will be named when mean wind speeds are likely to occur, between and/or gusts between ). Evelyn Cusack of Met Éireann said that she understood Dutton's point, stating that his criticisms were well made. She reiterated that the orange warning issued by Met Éireann fulfilled their criteria for naming the storm, producing severe winds, coastal flooding and high waves on the Irish coast, even if the centre of circulation was distant. Storm David/Friederike. Storm David (also named Friederike), affected an area of Europe from northern France  and England, through the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and the Alps to Poland and the Czech Republic, starting on the evening of 17 January until 19 January. David brought heavy snowfall on its northern flank and high winds (sustained winds up to Bft. 11, widespread hurricane-force gusts) on its southern flank. In some locations, both the high winds and the snowfall occurred, creating blizzard conditions. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol was closed, as well as some airports in Germany. European railroad companies (e.g. the Deutsche Bahn in Germany) could only offer very limited transportation services, if any. Road traffic was similarly disrupted  by windthrow, snow, ice, high crosswinds, and by traffic jams that were caused by incidents related to the storm. Widespread damage to manmade structures and to forests occurred. Germany was the worst-hit country as there were 10 known deaths as well as a damage total as high as several hundreds of millions. David/Friederike was the most devastating windstorm in Germany after Cyclone Kyrill in 2007. Coincidentally, Friederike and Kyrill both struck Central Europe on 18 January, albeit 11 years apart. This storm, which proved to have catastrophic effects, originated from a low pressure trough in the Western Atlantic  that stretched from the Southern Caribbean to Newfoundland on 14 January — 16. After gaining a closed circulation near or over Newfoundland on 16 January, the new cyclone entered the very strong southern wind field of the Icelandic Low Fionn, crossing the Atlantic in less than two days and being steered into Europe. Upon the formation of the precursor trough, the GFS and ECMWF correctly predicted that system to impact Europe as a windstorm. Between 14 and 19 January, the binary storm complex that consisted of Fionn and David brought high winds and snowfall to large portions of Europe. After the  storms have passed, they left behind an improved weather situation in Europe that was calmer, drier and warmer. The storm also brought some hurricane-force gusts and heavy snowfall to Britain and Ireland and caused 140,000 power cuts there. Nevertheless, the storm impacted the Netherlands and Germany in a much more dramatic way. The UK Met Office did not give David a name from its own storm naming list as it did not expect the storm to have a significant impact on Britain, which proved to be an underestimation. Storm Georgina. Storm Georgina was officially named on 23 January after  the low pressure area that was nearing Britain and Ireland suddenly had bombed out at . The storm affected the northern parts of Britain, causing numerous power outages as well as flooding and widespread structural damage there. There were widespread gusts in the range in the affected areas, with an isolated gust over a ski area in the Scottish Highlands. Georgina also brought torrential rains to Northern Ireland and Scotland. After crossing the North Sea, the vigorous low pressure area went on to affect Norway. Storm Emma. Storm Emma (also named Ulrike) was named while it was centred over the Azores  and threatened to strike Western Europe as a blizzard. The cyclone affected Iberia, Great Britain and Ireland on its track, causing high winds and snowfall, leading to blizzard conditions. As Emma neared southwest England, it brought new cold air to the UK and Ireland, prolonging the cold period. Meteorologists observed the collision of Emma and Anticyclone Hartmut dubbed the "Beast from the East" by the press, and the interaction of the two highly different air masses worsened the wind and snowfall posed by Emma. Starting on 1 March 2018, the collision of Emma and Hartmut triggered numerous hurricane-force gusts  in southern Europe and the United Kingdom. The highest of these gusts occurred in the morning of 1 March on Mount Aigoual in southern France at . On 1 March 2018, UK authorities issued a red warning in Wales and south-west England as citizens in Scotland spent up to 20 hours in their cars stuck in traffic in frigid weather and a 46-year-old Southampton man died in a motor vehicle accident on the A34. Schools across the UK were closed in the face of oncoming blizzards, strong winds, and heavy snowfall. Traffic was significantly hindered by the "Beast  from the East". In Lincolnshire commuters near Boston were stranded by snow and had to freed by farmers with tractors, a minimum of 20 cars and HGVs were snowed in on the A46 close to Faldingworth. The Royal Air Force deployed 4×4 vehicles to transport health and emergency workers. Trains were cancelled across the UK, with over 20 rail operators running at reduced capacity; London's Paddington Station closed for about three hours and 50 stations in Kent closed because of inclement weather. Air travel has been similarly curtailed, as terminals all over the country cancel flights. At least three  people died in the UK as a result of the storm. In Ireland snow began to fall in the east of the country on Tuesday 27 February. Snow continued in the east on Wednesday the 28th, with well over reported in many areas. Schools closed on Wednesday the 28th in affected areas. Panic buying of food was seen as Storm Emma approached. Emma made landfall on the south coast on Thursday 1 March and swept northward. All schools were closed on Thursday 1 March and Friday the 2nd nationwide with a red weather warning put in place by Met Eireann . High winds and heavy snowfall on top of the already lying snow led to drifting and severe disruption. Many roads were left impassable, particularly in rural areas and in North Kildare, West Wicklow and Wexford respectively. Power outages and water cuts were reported widely. A Lidl supermarket was torn down and looted in Fortunestown, Tallaght during the chaos caused by the storm. Over of lying snow was reported in some locations, with drifts many feet high on many rural routes. Some rural villages were cut off for many days. A slow thaw ensued. Many schools remained closed in Kildare, Wicklow  and Wexford on Monday 5 March as local authorities continued to attempt to clear roads. Storm Felix. Storm Felix formed from the remnants of the nor'easter which affected the eastern United States in early March 2018. After moving out into the Atlantic, the low-pressure system which caused the nor'easter quickly deepened to a minimum pressure of . Felix was subsequently named by IPMA of Portugal on 9 March, as orange weather warnings were issued for Madeira and surrounding islands. Winds gusting up to were recorded in the mountains of Madeira and up to at Madeira Airport. Felix subsequently approached mainland  Portugal, where red wind warnings were issued along the central coast and winds reaching were observed. Red warnings were also issued ahead of the storm in northern Spain, as Felix veered northwards into the Bay of Biscay. Felix weakened as it moved further east, making landfall in central France as a minimal storm. Storm Gisele. Storm Gisele was named by the Spanish AEMET agency on 14 March, as the system was undergoing rapid intensification in the central Atlantic. Around the same time, IPMA in Portugal issued orange wind warnings for the Azores archipelago as Gisele approached. Across the islands, winds  of up to were recorded. Gisele subsequently continued northeastwards; orange wind warnings were issued for mainland Portugal and northern Spain, warning of wind impacts and coastal damage. Gisele then made landfall in mainland Portugal, with mesovortices within an unstable cold front bringing isolated gusts of up to and at least one confirmed tornado. Storm Hugo. Storm Hugo was named by AEMET on 23 March, as it was undergoing explosive intensification in the mid-Atlantic; as a result, the agency issued a Special Warning regarding the formation of Hugo. Subsequently, AEMET issued red weather warnings for northern Portugal and orange warnings  for the remainder of the mainland coast, with yellow warnings of wind and snow being issued further inland. Wind gusts of up to were recorded widely, with gusts of up to recorded in coastal areas in the north of the country. Storm Irene. Storm Irene was named by the Azores Regional Department of Portugal's IPMA meteorological agency on 16 April. Moving swiftly northwards, Irene intensified into an unusually strong low for the region at this time of year, crossing the Azores archipelago with a minimum pressure of and winds of up to . As a result, orange weather warnings were  issued for the islands. After crossing the Azores, Irene moved northwestwards into the open Atlantic and weakened, dissipating over the northern Atlantic without again affecting land. Storm Hector. An "off season" windstorm occurring before the 2018 British Isles heat wave. Other systems. Several notable extratropical cyclones affecting Europe went officially unnamed throughout the season as they did not affect any of the countries involved in issuing names; however, many of these did receive unofficial names from the Free University of Berlin. Cyclone Thomas rapidly deepened as it crossed Romania on 17–18 September, bringing intense straight-line winds to the country . Eight people were killed, with more than 137 injuries and 7,000 damage claims reported, totalling around US$9.4 million in damage. Cyclone Xavier crossed northern Europe in early October 2017. Germany was the worst affected country, with high winds between 4 and 6 October causing severe damage, including in and around Berlin. Further damage was reported in the Czech Republic, where the highest winds of up to were recorded, and in Poland. In total, Xavier killed nine people – seven in Germany and two in Poland – and caused at least £180 million (€200 million) in damage. Cyclone Herwart initially  formed as a secondary low to a more northerly centre of low pressure (named Grischa) coming southward from the Svalbard Islands region in late October. Herwart then went through the Fujiwhara effect with this system, rotating counterclockwise around the main low pressure area, passing over Norway, Sweden, Latvia and then losing power while moving over western Russia. In Denmark, which was hit on 28 October, the storm was named Ingolf. In Hungary, the storm was named Nárcisz (Narcissus), a Hungarian female name whose name day is on 29 October. In total, Herwart killed ten people across central Europe and caused  £800 million (€950 million) in damage. Cyclone Reinhard (also known locally as "Storm Ylva") made landfall in Norway on 23 November, with high winds and heavy rainfall causing millions of euros worth of damage. There were hundreds of reports of damage across southern Norway, but no reports of injuries or fatalities. A low-pressure area known as "Storm Cora" in Norway and "Ex-Blizzard Aku" in Finland brought wind gusts of up to to these areas in January 2018.