Our windy winter continues unabated. Powerful wind gusts hit 124km/h at Heathrow this afternoon and at least 110km/h in the city. Wind blowing consistently at 120 km/h is considered a hurricane. I walked to Hampstead for an appointment earlier today and found myself almost swept off my feet on more than one occasion. At times you could almost see ripples in the air itself as gusts reached their peak. I was certainly watching for flying objects.
Hurricane force winds also swept across most Europe. Severe wind warnings were issued in Munich, encouraging schools to cancel afternoon classes and send children home early. Eurostar cancelled its services to and from the UK after the wind brought down power lines in France. Deutsche Bahn, the German national rail company, also suspended its services.
The local news is full of stories about flight cancellations (123 at Heathrow alone), train delays, trucks being toppled and cars being flipped. At least 14 people are confirmed dead, while insurers anticipate claims of more than £1 billion over the next few days. Tonight Austria is forecasting wind gusts in the high reaches of the Alps of up to 170km/h.
We're also being warned that cold weather is finally on its way. The Met is predicting local snow showers next Tuesday in areas east of London. Quite a change from today's comfortable 14C. Temperatures should be similar tomorrow. Unfortunately, windy conditions are expected until Sunday.
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1 comment:
Hope you survived the wind. We have been watching the reports on TV. Pretty aweful. Hope they have blown themselves out by the time we arrive
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