Storm Ciarán hits Western Europe with record-breaking winds, causing deaths and widespread damage

Storm Ciarán — the 5^th named and the most powerful storm of the 2023/24 European windstorm season thus far — wreaked havoc across Western Europe on November 2, 2023, with record winds reaching 200 km/h (124 mph), leading to floods, blackouts, and major disruptions. Ciarán underwent explosive cyclogenesis, affecting Western Europe and culminating in numerous fatalities, record-breaking wind speeds, and extensive power outages.

Storm Ciarán’s emergence was tracked by the United Kingdom’s Met Office, which named the system on October 29, acknowledging its potential severity. The storm, also known as Emir and Celine in other parts of Europe, made landfall with violent conditions, resulting in at least 12 confirmed deaths across France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, and Italy.

The intensity of Ciarán was unprecedented, with wind speeds soaring to 200 km/h (124 mph), setting new records and causing havoc across Western Europe and as far east as Italy and Croatia. The storm reached its peak on November 2, unleashing its might with catastrophic force.

In France, the impact was particularly severe with 1.2 million households plunged into darkness as power grids failed under the storm’s onslaught. Meteo-France documented extraordinary gusts in Brittany, breaking absolute records. The coastal point of Pointe du Raz registered gusts surging to 207 km/h (128.6 mph), and in Brest, the winds rampaged at 156 km/h (96.9 mph). The maritime fury was further evidenced by colossal 20-meter (66-foot) waves battering the Brittany coast.

In the French city of Roubaix — located in the Lille metropolitan area on the Belgian border, the storm injured 15 individuals, including seven firefighters. Across the English Channel, southern England grappled with its own set of challenges as educational institutions closed in response to the severe weather, with gusts reaching 135 km/h (83.9 mph) producing massive waves onto the shores. Jersey, an island in the Channel, witnessed evacuations and property damage, with winds peaking at 164 km/h (101.9 mph) and a probable tornado causing significant destruction.

The United Kingdom confronted Ciarán with a historic perspective, as the storm’s central atmospheric pressure plummeted to record lows for November. The Met Office reported readings of 953.3 hPa in Plymouth and 958.5 hPa in St. Athan — surpassing records for the month that had remained unchallenged since 1916.

Amidst the chaos, Britain’s Environment Agency issued warnings for “significant flooding” in coastal regions, while the effects of the storm extended southward, affecting Spain and Portugal with the Atlantic coast anticipating waves reaching up to 9 m (29.5 feet).

The Netherlands advised residents to remain indoors, as the aviation sector felt the impact with over 200 flights cancelled at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. Transportation services across various neighboring countries faced cancellations and delays.

Ciarán’s outer rainbands reached as far east as Italy, Austria, Slovenia, and Croatia, causing major flooding in some regions.

At least 5 people were killed in Tuscany, Italy, the Tuscan Governor Eugenio Giani said on Friday, November 3.

In France, a truck driver was killed after a tree fell on him in Aisne and a 70-year-old man died in La Havre after falling from his balcony.

Falling trees killed a woman in Madrid, Spain and another woman in the Netherlands, while two people – a five-year-old and a 64-year-old from Germany – died in Ghent by falling branches.

In the wake of Storm Ciarán, meteorological analysis indicates the approach of a secondary storm system.

This system, to be designated as Debi in Ireland and the U.K., and Domingos in France, is predicted to deliver more inclement weather from Friday evening through Sunday, November 5, with France and the northern Iberian Peninsula bracing for the brunt of the storm’s heavy rain and strong winds, with potential wind speeds reaching up to 160 km/h (100 mph). The forecast suggests continued vigilance in the affected regions as Europe recovers from one storm and prepares for the next.

#Cornwall and the wrath of Storm Ciaran….👀#StormCiaran #Ciaran pic.twitter.com/2YGC4KCawa

— Volcaholic 🌋 (@volcaholic1) November 2, 2023

🚨 This is absolutely insane!!! SERIOUS flooding now in Figline di Prato north of Florence in #Italy pic.twitter.com/kFmZRRUPi8

— Volcaholic 🌋 (@volcaholic1) November 2, 2023

Lots of reports of storm damage coming from France too. This is Brest, a port city in Brittany, in northwestern France….

📹 Kevin Guichard#TempeteCiaran #StormCiaran #Ciaran pic.twitter.com/mtxz6PEHiL

— Volcaholic 🌋 (@volcaholic1) November 2, 2023

A friend who lives in St Clement, Jersey, finally able to get outside and assess the damage in his estate. Scale of damage is shocking. #StormCiaran pic.twitter.com/L41PpHYH1h

— Consumer Carl (@CarlWalker7) November 2, 2023

References:

¹ Storm Ciaran batters western Europe – AFP – November 2, 2023

² Storm Ciarán turns deadly in northern Europe, as 100-mph winds knock out power for millions – AccuWeather – November 2, 2023

Featured image: Satellite image of Storm Ciarán at 06:00 UTC on November 2 2023. Credit: EUMETSAT/Meteosat-10, RAMMB/CIRA, The Watchers