Storms batter Europe

This item appears on page 5 of the April 2022 issue.

Northern Europe, particularly the United Kingdom and Ireland, experienced multiple major, named storms in February. It was the first time since the current storm-naming system went into effect, in 2015, that three such storms occurred within a week in that region.

On Feb. 18, Storm Eunice made landfall, with wind gusts of up to 122 miles per hour. Between the countries of Ireland, the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands, the storm killed at least nine people. Millions of people throughout the region were left without power, in some cases for a week.

On Feb. 20, Storm Dudley caused minor damage in eastern England, with winds of over 60 miles per hour.

On Feb. 23, Storm Franklin struck the UK and Ireland, with gusts up to 87 miles per hour. Flood warnings were given throughout Ireland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales.