Sunday's Low

[kent]

Hurricane-force winds, surging seas and driving rain lashed western Europe on Sunday, leaving at least 22 people dead and more than a million households without power. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20100228/twl-death-toll-mounts-as-storms-lash-eur-a2f61c0.html

Thank you Yamkin. I rest my case.

[Buckster]

remember everyone - especially OP - the original title of this thread

Sunday's Low - Potential Bad Weather for England or Not

therefore emphasis on England - for which it was almost a non-event

[John London]

Try telling that to the Spanish and French and to those families that have lost loved ones. It didnt happen here and it was quite right for the agencies concerned to issue warnings.

Did you not see the bit where I wrote "For anyone living in mainland Europe ignore this."

Or wasn't you aware that Spain and France are part of mainland europe?

[SteveElbows]

Oh dear Ive just seen breaking news on BBC site that the deathtoll has reached 40.

[kent]

Did you not see the bit where I wrote "For anyone living in mainland Europe ignore this."

Or wasn't you aware that Spain and France are part of mainland europe?

By the same token mainland Europe is often referred to as Continental Europe. eg. Europe which I believe includes France and Spain.

[SteveElbows]

Video and pictures of some of the devastation, along with updated deathtoll:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8540762.stm

[John London]

By the same token mainland Europe is often referred to as Continental Europe. eg. Europe which I believe includes France and Spain.

Glad you agree.

[clv101]

Thanks coldfingers. That's right, the Thames Barrier has been activated due to a possible surge once the low pressure heads into the North Sea. Best be safe than sorry is my motto.

Where do you see live information on the barrage? It was due to be closed on Tuesday for the equinoctial tide but Monday's tide is almost as high. Coupled with the low pressure, right direction winds and large rainfall in the Thames catchment over the weekend this could be a problem no?

[West Sussex Kate]

wow this storm avoided us (that was a close one!)

[kold weather]

Yep sadly does seem to have been killer but not all that surprising given the track it took and also the strength, not too common to get a low that potent coming on that sort of track in late winter I'd have thought.

[essex coast matt]

loads about the storm on cnn this morning.

[Coast]

Well, I for one am very pleased we escaped the main storm, tempered with sadness at the loss of life abroad:

France has declared a national disaster after violent storms battered parts of the country leaving death and destruction in their wake.

news.bbc.co.uk

Pictures here: news.bbc.co.uk

[Guest North Sea Snow Convection]

If the track of that low had been just another 50 to 70 miles further North West then the south east corner would have seen 70 to 80mph gusts instead of 30 to 40mph. A fortunate escape - so close!

[LomondSnowstorm]

It is honestly just as sad to me whether 50 French/Spanish or 50 Brits died in this storm - it is still a tragic and futile loss of life. What I find odd about this is the timing really - late February is usually pretty blocked and lacks intense lows, especially over continental europe - http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2008/Rrea00120080228.gif

Of course this did occur in February http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/1953/Rrea00119530201.gif

[Thundery wintry showers]

Yes, the system ultimately turned out to be about as potent as expected- but it was parts of France that got hit and not Britain. The 28th was a pretty dark day in Norwich with persistent moderate rain, a cold wind, no sunshine and big puddles of water around the UEA campus, but at the same time there was a strong sense of "getting off lightly". A bit further north and maybe those puddles would have been replaced by more general flooding.

What was unusual about this low was how far south it originated- some serious sub-tropical air got embedded into its circulation (>15C 850hPa temperatures registered over SE Spain) and mixing with the polar air over the UK, this will have helped spawn an explosive depression given the strong temperature gradients involved. The October 1987 one was also notable for originating at unusually low latitudes, but as has been widely discussed elsewhere its track was somewhat different.

Severe winds may appear out of character in late February, but in 1988-90 rough winds featured in three Februarys in a row- 9 February 1988, 13 & 23 February 1989, and repeatedly during February 1990. I think February 1962 has come up in past discussions as having severe winds over the north.

[yamkin]

Where do you see live information on the barrage? It was due to be closed on Tuesday for the equinoctial tide but Monday's tide is almost as high. Coupled with the low pressure, right direction winds and large rainfall in the Thames catchment over the weekend this could be a problem no?

Info sent to classified areas. Media were informed a few hours later.