Cyclone Dirk

Cyclone Dirk
Dirk over Western Europe 23 December 2013
Type	European windstorm, Extratropical cyclone, Winter storm
Formed	December 21, 2013
Dissipated	December 27, 2013
Lowest pressure	927 mb (27.4 inHg)
Fatalities	6 (5 UK, 1 France (1 missing))
Areas affected	Ireland, United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Iceland, Faroe Islands Portugal.

Cyclone Dirk is a large and deep European windstorm that affected Western Europe from Iberia to Iceland from 22 December 2013.

Meteorological history

Dirk formed over North America,^[1] 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 21°C, Montreal -7°C) which enhanced the Jet stream in the North Atlantic.^[2] The low moved under this powerful jet stream where it explosively deepened before reaching Western Europe.^[1][3]

Deepening below 935 hectopascals (27.6 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.^[4] Offshore the minimum low pressure of the "Dirk" storm was 927 hectopascals (27.4 inHg).^{[citation needed]}

On land the low pressure during the storm was measured at 936.8 hectopascals (27.66 inHg) on 24 December at Stornoway, Isle of Lewis off the north west coast of Scotland.^[5][6] This the lowest measured in Britain and Ireland since 1886 (127 years), when a low of 927.2 hectopascals (27.38 inHg) was recorded in Belfast, Northern Ireland.^[5] The most recent low pressure record near such values in Stornoway was measured on 20 December 1982 at 937.6 hectopascals (27.69 inHg).^[5] The all-time low pressure record for the British Isles remains at 925.4 hectopascals (27.33 inHg), recorded at Ochtertyre, Crieff in Perthshire on 26 January 1884.^[5]

At the southernmost tip of the Faroe Islands a low air pressure of 932.2 hPa was recorded on Christmas Eve at Akraberg lighthouse.^[7] This was not as low as the Faroese record of 930.3 hPa, set at Vagar airport during the passage of the Braer Storm of January 1993.^[7]

Forecast

Met Eireann issued nationwide orange wind and marine alerts for winds of 50 to 80 km/hr with gusts of 100 to 130 km/hr.^[8] The UK Met Office issued national severe weather warnings for wind and rain across southwest and northern areas of the UK for the 23 and 24 December.^[9] 40-60mm of rain was expected across southern England and Wales on 23 December. Gales and severe gales with 70-80 mile gusts and blizzards over the Scottish mountains on 24 December. Meteo France issued orange warnings to parts of Brittany on 22 December, which were expanded to cover Normandy, Picardy and Nord Pas De Calais regions on 23 December.^[10] French Meteorologists stated the storm would not be as strong as the devastating Lothar and Martin, a pair of storms which hit France in late December 1999.^[11] The Norwegian Meteorological Institute issued a warning for Christmas Eve for the whole of Southern Norway.^[12]

Impact

Northwestern Spain saw strong wind gusts, with coastal areas seeing large waves and wind damage. A gust of 42.8 metres per second (154 km/h) was measured at the Estaca de Bares peninsular in Galicia.^[13]

Transport

On the 22 December, anticipating severe weather rail companies announced that travellers with tickets for the 23 December would be permitted to travel on the 22. Network Rail imposed speed restrictions from 16:00 23 December. Network Rail described the damage to rail infrastructure in southern England as worse than that seen during the St. Jude storm in October.^[14]

• East Coast lifted ticket restrictions and announced it would run a scaled back service.
• East Midlands Trains said it would run a full service on 23 December.
• First Great Western Trains said there was major disruption between Exmouth and Barnstaple, Looe and Liskeard and Paignton.^[15]
• Arriva Cross Country services were not running south of Bristol.
• A landslip at Coulsdon in Surrey damaged a train and closed the line.^[16]
• In France the railway services in Brittany between Brest and Saint Brieuc, and between Caen and Cherbourg in Normandy were disrupted, operations were resuming on the lines 24 December.^[17]
• A commuter train derailed in Galicia Spain after a tree fell on the tracks, none of the passengers or crew were reported as injured.^[18]

In Finistere, France the Pont de l'Iroise was closed to traffic overnight on the 23 December.^[19] The Saint-Nazaire Bridge crossing the Loire river also had traffic restrictions in place.^[19] The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge of the Dartford Crossing was closed from 12pm on the 23 December with traffic running in two directions through the Dartford Tunnel. The Sheppey Crossing was closed, with the Orwell Bridge also closed to high sided vehicles near Ipswich. Denmark saw few problems with transport, but high-sided and wind-sensitive vehicles were being warned to stay off the roads, especially the larger bridges.^[20]

LD Lines cancelled boats between Le Havre and Dieppe to Portsmouth on 23 and 24 December, with a crossing between Saint-Nazaire and Gijon, Spain also cancelled.^[10] Brittany Ferries cancelled crossings from St Malo in Brittany and Ouistreham in Normandy to Portsmouth.^[10] Although the ferry from Cherbourg to Portsmouth was due to leave at 10.30pm on 23 December.^[10] Brittany Ferries also cancelled the Roscoff to Plymouth ferry.^[15] Irish Ferries cancelled the Jonathan Swift Fast Ferry between Holyhead and Dublin on the afternoon of 23 December.^[8] 24 December saw all Caledonian MacBrayne ferry services to the Scottish Western Isles cancelled, with the company hoping to run a relief service on Christmas Day. The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, also ran a Christmas Day service, after cancelling sailings, which the company said had not happened since the late 1970s.^[21]

The Port of Dover closed at 21:00 23 December due to strong winds and high seas, reopening at 07:30 the morning after.^[22] Reports that several ferries spent the night unable to dock riding out the storm in the English Channel. MV Cap Finistere Bilbao ferry left on Sunday 22 turned back to shelter near Brittany after storm in Bay of Biscay, injured passengers airlifted from the ferry.^[23] In the English Channel sea conditions were described as the worst in 16 years.^[24] Cargo ship Horst B ran aground in strong winds in the Faroe Islands.^[25] A cargo boat reported losing 30 containers overboard off the coast of Brittany.^[17]

All flights to and from the Scilly Isles were cancelled and rescheduled until 24 December.^[15] Flights to and from Southampton Airport were badly affected by the storm.^[26] Gatwick Airport's north terminal was affected by power disruptions due to flooding on 24 December. Heathrow cancelled a couple of dozen flights on 23 December. Bristol Airport and Glasgow Airport also reported some disruption. In Spain delays and cancellations were reported at airports in Bilbao, Asturias, Santander and Vigo.^[27]

Energy supplies

In France 240,000 customers were left without electricity, of which 130,000 were in Brittany.^[19] 2,700 homes were reported to be without power in Cornwall.^[15] 100,000 homes reported without power across Southern England. A maximum of 88,000 homes were left without power in Spanish Galicia.^[18] Ireland saw up to 30,000 customers without power from the storm.^[28]

Flooding

Saturated ground led to localised flooding in southern England, as the storm brought up to 60mm of rain to the UK. A major incident was declared in the region of Leatherhead and Dorking with Fire Brigade unions calling off a planned strike in Surrey and Kent. An Environment Agency spokesman said flooding in Kent and Sussex were the worst to hit the area since Autumn 2000. In France the Breton town of Morlaix reported flooding.^[17]

Casualties

In France a 12-year-old boy was killed by a falling wall in Vire, lower Normandy.^[19] A Russian seaman was missing from the cargo ship Victoriaborg 220 km northwest of Brest in the storm.^[19] In the United Kingdom casualties included 2 men in England and one woman in Wales, with a further woman casualty in a car accident in Shropshire in what was described as "difficult weather conditions". ^[29]

Aftermath

Manuel Valls the French Minister of the Interior while visiting the heavily affected region of Brittany, said an error had been made in the forecasting and preparation for the Dirk storm.^[30] He said that officials had severely underestimated the danger posed, and ordered Prefects to investigate what preparations and warnings were undertaken, saying that decrees describing the worst affected regions as 'natural catastrophes' (a constitutional French designation^[31]) would be published rapidly.^[30] On 3 February Perils AG announced an initial insured property loss estimate from the storm at €275 million.^[32]

References

v t e European windstorms Historical Grote Mandrenke Burchardi flood Great Storm of 1703 Night of the Big Wind Moray Firth fishing disaster Tay Bridge disaster Eyemouth disaster 1900s North Sea flood of 1953 Hurricane Debbie 1961 North Sea flood of 1962 1968 Scotland storm Quimburga 1972 Gale of January 1976 December 1981 windstorm Ex-Hurricane Charley 1986 Great Storm of 1987 Burns' Day storm 1990 New Year's Day Storm 1992 Braer Storm of January 1993 Boxing Day Storm 1998 Anatol 1999 Lothar and Martin 1999 2000s Oratia 2000 Jeanett 2002 Gudrun 2005 Per 2007 Kyrill 2007 Emma 2008 Klaus 2009 Xynthia 2010 Berit 2011 Friedhelm/Bawbag 2011 Joachim 2011 Dagmar 2011 Ulli 2011 Andrea 2012 St Jude 2013 Xaver 2013 Dirk 2013 Anne 2014 See also European windstorm List of European windstorms