U.K. Prepares as Worst Storm in Five Years Approaches
Britain is preparing for hurricane-force winds and flooding caused by torrential rain after forecasters warned the worst storm in five years will sweep across much of England and Wales from the Atlantic.
The country’s Met Office issued an amber alert and warned of wind gusts in some places exceeding 80 mph (129 kilometers an hour) late today and early tomorrow, while the Environment Agency posted flood alerts across western areas. The storm is set to disrupt transportation as the work week begins. In France, Belgium and the Netherlands, weather services also warned of high winds, especially along Channel coasts.
“This weather system is typical of what we expect to see in winter, but as it’s coming in during autumn -- when trees are in leaf -- and while the ground is fairly saturated, it does pose some risks,” Martin Young, the Met Office’s chief forecaster, said on the agency’s website. “We could see some uprooted trees or other damage from the winds and there’s a chance of some surface water flooding from the rainfall.
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron said on Twitter that he held talks with government departments and agencies today ‘‘to hear about all the plans to ensure people are protected.’’
Heathrow Airport
Air, road and rail travel are expected to be affected, with London’s Heathrow Airport, Europe’s biggest aviation hub, expecting an impact on flights from tomorrow morning.
The storm is ‘‘likely to cause disruption to flights at Heathrow including cancellations,” the airport said in an e-mailed statement today. “Passengers due to travel on Monday should check the status of their flight with their airline before traveling to the airport.”
British Airways, which uses Heathrow as a base, said “we anticipate some flights to and from the U.K. and transport links to U.K. airports may be affected,” according to its website. The airline, part of International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG), said any changes to schedules will be on the website later today.
High winds expected tomorrow at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport will reduce runway capacity and affect flight schedules, Air France-KLM (AF) Group’s Dutch KLM unit said late today on its website.
Southern Trains and the Gatwick Express airport service from London won’t run tomorrow “until it has been declared safe to do so,” because of the risk of tree branches and debris on rail lines, owner Southern Railway Ltd. said on its website.
Southeastern Trains may need to start services later than usual tomorrow, according to its website, while South West Trains said it will have a “significantly reduced timetable.”
Regional Impact
The Met’s amber alert is the middle category of a three-stage weather warning system for the public. The alert covers London, all of southern England, Wales, the West Midlands and parts of the East Midlands, the Met Office said. A less serious yellow alert has been issued for eastern England, the northeast and northwest.
The French national weather forecaster said it expected the Brittany and Channel areas to feel the effects later today. The storm will hit western France overnight before spreading to Normandy and Nord-Pas de Calais by morning, with gusts topping 80 mph on the coasts, according to Meteo France.
Weather services in Belgium and the Netherlands forecast high winds continuing into tomorrow morning, with gusts as high as 87 mph in northwest coastal areas of the Netherlands.
Eurostar Trains
Eurostar doesn’t expect its high-speed train service between the U.K. and continental Europe to be disrupted, according to its website.
The U.K’s so-called Big Six energy companies, which supply more than 90 percent of British customers, are also making preparations.
Scottish Power Ltd., owned by Iberdrola SA (IBE) of Spain, canceled all non-essential maintenance work in North Wales and has engineers on standby, a spokesman said today by phone. The company supplies energy to about 5.6 million customers in Britain.
RWE Npower Plc has four-wheel-drive vehicles in place to ensure employees can get to work in extreme weather, as well as beds and emergency rations at its stations so the company can generate power at all times, said Amy Rynn, a spokeswoman at the U.K. unit of German utility RWE AG. (RWE)
Tree-Cutting
SSE Plc (SSE) has tracked the weather for the past few days and started mobilizing staff on Oct. 25 from Scotland, where it is based in Perth, to the south of England, said Morven Smith, a spokeswoman for the company, which has about 10 million customer accounts for gas and power.
SSE drafted in extra engineers and tree-cutting staff to central southern England, as well as additional employees in its customer service centers and support personnel, she said today by phone.
The gusts may lead to shutdowns at turbines including those at the London Array, the world’s biggest offshore wind-power site, which automatically halt when wind speeds exceed 56 mph. Structurally, the turbines and offshore sub-stations are designed to withstand conditions “far in excess” of those forecast, Barrie Englishby, a production manager for the project east of London, said Oct. 25.
The storm, which has been named St. Jude after the patron saint of lost causes, whose feast day is tomorrow, has been developing over the Atlantic. A strong jet stream and warm air close to the U.K. are contributing to its development and strength.
Ferries Canceled
Ferry services have been canceled today and tomorrow between Plymouth and Roscoff, in France, and between Penzance and the Isles of Scilly.
“We are in the process of contacting all passengers booked on these sailings,” Brittany Ferries, which runs the Plymouth-Roscoff route, said on its website.
P&O Ferries also said the storm may “significantly affect” its services.
The Environment Agency warned the public to avoid seafronts, quaysides and jetties. The Highways Agency said winds may force some bridges to be closed. It advised motorists to be aware of sudden gusts and give high-sided vehicles, caravans, motorbikes and bicycles plenty of space.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-27/u-k-transport-operators-prepare-for-approaching-storm.html
Britain is preparing for hurricane-force winds and flooding caused by torrential rain after forecasters warned the worst storm in five years will sweep across much of England and Wales from the Atlantic.
The country’s Met Office issued an amber alert and warned of wind gusts in some places exceeding 80 mph (129 kilometers an hour) late today and early tomorrow, while the Environment Agency posted flood alerts across western areas. The storm is set to disrupt transportation as the work week begins. In France, Belgium and the Netherlands, weather services also warned of high winds, especially along Channel coasts.
“This weather system is typical of what we expect to see in winter, but as it’s coming in during autumn -- when trees are in leaf -- and while the ground is fairly saturated, it does pose some risks,” Martin Young, the Met Office’s chief forecaster, said on the agency’s website. “We could see some uprooted trees or other damage from the winds and there’s a chance of some surface water flooding from the rainfall.
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron said on Twitter that he held talks with government departments and agencies today ‘‘to hear about all the plans to ensure people are protected.’’
Heathrow Airport
Air, road and rail travel are expected to be affected, with London’s Heathrow Airport, Europe’s biggest aviation hub, expecting an impact on flights from tomorrow morning.
The storm is ‘‘likely to cause disruption to flights at Heathrow including cancellations,” the airport said in an e-mailed statement today. “Passengers due to travel on Monday should check the status of their flight with their airline before traveling to the airport.”
British Airways, which uses Heathrow as a base, said “we anticipate some flights to and from the U.K. and transport links to U.K. airports may be affected,” according to its website. The airline, part of International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG), said any changes to schedules will be on the website later today.
High winds expected tomorrow at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport will reduce runway capacity and affect flight schedules, Air France-KLM (AF) Group’s Dutch KLM unit said late today on its website.
Southern Trains and the Gatwick Express airport service from London won’t run tomorrow “until it has been declared safe to do so,” because of the risk of tree branches and debris on rail lines, owner Southern Railway Ltd. said on its website.
Southeastern Trains may need to start services later than usual tomorrow, according to its website, while South West Trains said it will have a “significantly reduced timetable.”
Regional Impact
The Met’s amber alert is the middle category of a three-stage weather warning system for the public. The alert covers London, all of southern England, Wales, the West Midlands and parts of the East Midlands, the Met Office said. A less serious yellow alert has been issued for eastern England, the northeast and northwest.
The French national weather forecaster said it expected the Brittany and Channel areas to feel the effects later today. The storm will hit western France overnight before spreading to Normandy and Nord-Pas de Calais by morning, with gusts topping 80 mph on the coasts, according to Meteo France.
Weather services in Belgium and the Netherlands forecast high winds continuing into tomorrow morning, with gusts as high as 87 mph in northwest coastal areas of the Netherlands.
Eurostar Trains
Eurostar doesn’t expect its high-speed train service between the U.K. and continental Europe to be disrupted, according to its website.
The U.K’s so-called Big Six energy companies, which supply more than 90 percent of British customers, are also making preparations.
Scottish Power Ltd., owned by Iberdrola SA (IBE) of Spain, canceled all non-essential maintenance work in North Wales and has engineers on standby, a spokesman said today by phone. The company supplies energy to about 5.6 million customers in Britain.
RWE Npower Plc has four-wheel-drive vehicles in place to ensure employees can get to work in extreme weather, as well as beds and emergency rations at its stations so the company can generate power at all times, said Amy Rynn, a spokeswoman at the U.K. unit of German utility RWE AG. (RWE)
Tree-Cutting
SSE Plc (SSE) has tracked the weather for the past few days and started mobilizing staff on Oct. 25 from Scotland, where it is based in Perth, to the south of England, said Morven Smith, a spokeswoman for the company, which has about 10 million customer accounts for gas and power.
SSE drafted in extra engineers and tree-cutting staff to central southern England, as well as additional employees in its customer service centers and support personnel, she said today by phone.
The gusts may lead to shutdowns at turbines including those at the London Array, the world’s biggest offshore wind-power site, which automatically halt when wind speeds exceed 56 mph. Structurally, the turbines and offshore sub-stations are designed to withstand conditions “far in excess” of those forecast, Barrie Englishby, a production manager for the project east of London, said Oct. 25.
The storm, which has been named St. Jude after the patron saint of lost causes, whose feast day is tomorrow, has been developing over the Atlantic. A strong jet stream and warm air close to the U.K. are contributing to its development and strength.
Ferries Canceled
Ferry services have been canceled today and tomorrow between Plymouth and Roscoff, in France, and between Penzance and the Isles of Scilly.
“We are in the process of contacting all passengers booked on these sailings,” Brittany Ferries, which runs the Plymouth-Roscoff route, said on its website.
P&O Ferries also said the storm may “significantly affect” its services.
The Environment Agency warned the public to avoid seafronts, quaysides and jetties. The Highways Agency said winds may force some bridges to be closed. It advised motorists to be aware of sudden gusts and give high-sided vehicles, caravans, motorbikes and bicycles plenty of space.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-27/u-k-transport-operators-prepare-for-approaching-storm.html
