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High winds and flooding hit several countries in northern Europe, with the region hit by more heavy rain on Friday, which forecasters say will continue until the end of the week. Three deaths in the UK have been blamed on bad weather.
The winds are expected to hit strongly the eastern part of the Jutland Peninsula in Denmark and the Danish islands in the Baltic Sea. But the northern part of the British Isles, southern Sweden, Norway and northern Germany are also in the path of the storm, which the UK Met Office has named ‘Bapt’.
Eastern Scotland continued to bear the brunt of the stormy weather. On Friday, the Met Office issued a new “red” warning, the highest ever, for parts of the region until Saturday.
“This is not typical fall weather. This is an exceptional event, and we are likely to continue to see significant impacts with the potential for further flooding and property damage,” said Andy Page, chief meteorologist at the Met Office. , chief meteorologist at the Met.
(More: Here’s another on Tammy | And Norma)
A man in his 60s died after becoming stuck in fast-moving floodwaters in the central England county of Shropshire, police said on Friday.
In Scotland, a 57-year-old woman died on Thursday after being swept away by river water in the Angus region, where hundreds of homes were also evacuated. Also on Thursday, a 56-year-old man died after his truck struck a fallen tree in the same area.
A view of waves at Stonehaven, Scotland, Thursday, October 19, 2023, as the United Kingdom was affected by Storm Babbitt.
(Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)
Although forecasters said the worst of Scotland’s heavy rainfall was over, they warned conditions would remain difficult, with river levels continuing to rise and flood defenses breached. Some parts of the town of Brechin can only be reached by boat after torrential rains overwhelmed its flood defences, raising concerns about further loss of life.
Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s First Minister, said: “I cannot stress how dire the conditions are in Brechin in particular.”
Wind speeds are likely to exceed 60 mph on Friday. Many sections of Scotland’s major road and rail routes have been closed, while air travelers have faced flight cancellations.
The storm has already caused heavy rain for more than a month in the worst-hit areas of Scotland and hit many parts of England on Friday.
At Leeds Bradford Airport, a flight from the Greek island of Corfu skidded off the runway while landing in stormy conditions. No injuries were reported, and arrivals were diverted to other airports.
An airport spokesperson said: “We are working with the airline, relevant operations teams and emergency authorities to address this situation and remove passengers from the aircraft safely.”
In northeastern England, a lighthouse at the mouth of the River Tyne has lost its distinctive red and white dome. Port of Tyne officials said it was not yet safe to assess damage to the South Shields Lighthouse while weather conditions remained dangerous.
The swirling weather system also hit other parts of northern Europe, especially Denmark. The Danish Meteorological Institute wrote on X, previously Twitter, that it expects water levels to exceed “the 100-year event in several places.”
Police in southern Denmark, the Danish region expected to be the most affected, said that a number of road sections in low-lying areas were flooded and some trees had fallen. Police said the dam had been breached and urged people to leave Saundersveig Strand immediately on the Jutland Peninsula.
Danish meteorologists issued their highest warning of “extremely dangerous weather” and said some inland water levels were expected to rise to nearly eight feet above normal.
In neighboring Sweden, meteorologists warned of the risk of widespread flooding that could lead to limited access to roads and railways along the southern coast of the Scandinavian country. Swedish meteorologists said water levels were expected to start falling again on Saturday morning.
Bergens Tidende newspaper said that a bridge near the second largest city in Norway was closed for preventive reasons. Ferries were canceled across the region and air traffic was disrupted, with a few delays and cancellations.
The Swedish Transport Authority has suspended service on several train and bus lines in southern Sweden due to the weather, prompting Skanetrafiken, the operator of the local transport system, to recommend “avoiding travel by public transport”.
“Some regional bus routes will be cancelled, and there is a risk that existing regional and alternative buses may be canceled in service in a short time,” Skanetrafiken said on its website.
In Germany, some streets and squares were flooded in the cities of Flensburg, Kiel and Wismar on the Baltic coast. Fallen trees caused some disruption, including to the railway line. Ferry operator Scandlines has suspended services on the Roedby-Puttgarden and Gedser-Rostock routes between Denmark and Germany.
On Germany’s North Sea coast, strong winds had the opposite effect of flooding on the Baltic Sea coast, pushing water farther and causing water levels to fall significantly. Ferries to some North Sea islands have been cancelled.
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