Storm Eunice

On a sombre Valentine’s day, 14 February 2022, the intense extratropical cyclone that was part of the 2021-2022 European windstorm season was named Eunice. An amber weather warning was issued for the whole of Southern England, Wales and the Midlands the following day. A red weather warning was subsequently issued on 17 February for parts of South West England and South Wales, with a second red warning issued on 18 February for London, the South East and East of England. Eunice has set a provisional record for the fastest wind gust recorded in England with 122 miles per hour (196 km/h) at The Needles, Isle of Wight. 

It is the second storm in a week to hit the UK, after parts of Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland were battered by Storm Dudley. The UK Met Office issued two red weather warnings in as many months for strong winds. These are the highest threat levels meteorologists can announce, and are the first wind-only red warnings to be issued since 2016’s Storm Gertrude. At least 16 fatalities have been reported in the wake of the deadly storm’s rampage through Europe. 

Deaths were reported in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, the Irish Republic and the UK, mostly related to falling trees and flying debris from the immense structural damage caused by the storm. In addition, the Dutch Coastguard are frantically searching for 26 empty shipping containers that were knocked off of Panama-registered Marcos V while en route to Germany, near the Wadden Islands.

In the UK, over 200,000 homes have been left without power, with much structural damage and delays to public transport networks. Great Britain’s rail service has been severely hamstrung, as operators are frantically trying to clear the tracks of debris to allow safe transportation, and they have issued advice to avoid travelling unless strictly necessary. All train services have been suspended in Wales, although 1.2 million customers have been reconnected to electricity since the storm’s disruption. 

Eunice caused at least USD488 million (GBP360 million) of damage in the UK, leaving 83,000 homes without power across the United Kingdom as of the 20 February.

Hundreds of flights all across Europe have been cancelled, with 500 cancellations at Gatwick, Heathrow, and Manchester airports on 18 February alone — shipping lines and ports have also been suspended. The port of Dover only reopened on 18 February, although the world’s busiest shipping lane, the English Channel, is still much quieter than usual due to the threat of the storm.

The worst is far from over. According to a UK newsletter, Chronicle Live, the “flurry of extreme storms which have brought destruction to the UK might be repeated as climate change wreaks havoc on the weather. Storm Eunice is thought to have contained a ‘sting jet’: a small, narrow airstream that can form inside a storm and produce intense winds over an area smaller than 100km. Rare but potentially deadly, these might become more frequent in years to come…”

Beyond the UK, here are some reports from other European nations hit by the storm:

In Belgium the roof of the Ghelamco Arena was damaged, resulting in the postponement of the First Division A match between Gent and Seraing scheduled for 18 February. In Tournai, parts of a crane were torn loose and fell on a hospital, damaging the roof and top floor. Additionally the town centre of Asse had to be evacuated due to the risk of a church tower collapsing.

In the Czech Republic the storm left 26,000 homes without power and several railway lines in the country suspended.

France issued an orange warning in five areas, with the police doing rounds to ensure citizen's were not roaming in risky areas. Even then there have been more than 30 injuries due to the storm, with six people seriously injured in the Nord department of France. Up to 160,000 households were left without electricity throughout the country. Regional trains in Hauts-de-France and Normandy were suspended, and the Lille-Flandres station was temporarily evacuated after debris fell on the glass roof.

In Lithuania the storm caused power outages across the nation on 19 February; mostly in the western and central regions. The water level in the river Danė in Lithuania's port town Klaipėda rose rapidly and flooded streets in the city centre, and shipping in the region had to be suspended.

In Poland more than 1.2 million people remained without electricity. More than 5,000 buildings were damaged. There were more than 180,000 emergency calls and more than 25,000 emergency actions, mainly regarding fallen trees, severed electricity lines or damaged roofs. Some skyscrapers in Warsaw were damaged.

The Maldives has felt the effects of the storm through a different metric; through the delays in incoming European flights, which had caused havoc in transfers to resorts during the past week. Nearly all flights were delayed, and one was reportedly forced to turn back due to technical issues, and record numbers were measured. 

Storm Eunice is once again an alarming reminder of climate change and its detrimental effects — a constant reminder of the abject failure to curb global warming, and to engage fully in mitigation efforts.