Storm Bella unleashed hurricane-force winds across parts of Europe
By
Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Dec 29, 2020 8:37 PM EDT
Storm Bella lashed the coasts of France and England, bringing flooding inland on Dec. 27.
Water rescues and train disruptions were all too common as Windstorm Bella roared through northwestern Europe during the holiday weekend.
Storm Bella was named by the Met Office last Thursday and descended on the United Kingdom and Ireland just in time for the Christmas and Boxing Day weekend, bringing disruptions to travel or outdoor holiday plans.
Bella tracked from near Iceland to the northern U.K. on Saturday, before it drifted to the south on Sunday.
Wind gusts of 40-60 mph (60-100 km/h) were common across the U.K., Ireland and northern France over the weekend with areas that had gusts of 60-80 mph (100-130 km/h) on Saturday. These winds led to power cuts, downed trees and caused localized damage to exposed buildings.
The strongest wind gust of the weekend was measured at 106 mph (171 km/h) which occurred at the Needles, located on the Isles of Wight in the English Channel, on Saturday night.
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Wind gusts of 104 mph (167 km/h), 86 mph (139 km/h) and 83 mph (134 km/h) were recorded at Cairngorm Summit in Scotland, Great Dune Fell in Northern England and Aberdaron in north Wales, respectively.
Strong winds from Bella whipped through Brighton and Hove, located along the southern coast of England, through Saturday night. The aftermath could be seen on Sunday as damage was reported and sea foam littered the coastal towns.
Sand was seen racing across a beach in Pendine, Wales, on Saturday. Winds reportedly gusted as strong as 57 mph (92 km/h) in this area.
According to the Guardian, hundreds were left without power across Plymouth and Truro as well as in Cardiff, Swansea, Telford in Shropshire, and Nottingham.
Strong onshore winds also led to areas of coastal flooding and high waves to parts of the U.K. and northern France, which was welcome news for surfers in the area.
In addition to coastal flooding, areas of heavy rainfall prompted evacuations and flood prevention measures across the country.
The Met Office issued 112 flood warnings across a swath of land from Cornwall to Kent, The Guardian reported, as weekend rainfall totals climbed to 25-50 mm (1-2 inches) across the region. Shap, England, a village located in the far northern part of the country, received a total of 65 mm (2.55 inches) of rain over the weekend.
The Guardian reported that multiple boat rescues took place in the U.K. after residents became trapped after attempting to drive through floodwaters.
Flood defenses, extra pumps and sandbags were put in place across the region to prevent additional flooding.
Train services were impacted across the U.K. as floodwaters and downed trees blocked tracks.
Areas of rain and snow showers along with gusty winds are expected to taper off across the British Isles into Tuesday as Bella continues to dip south. The storm is forecast to spread unsettled weather across southern Europe through the middle of the week, including portions of the Balkan Peninsula that were rocked by an earthquake on Tuesday.
Impacts were felt across southern and central Europe to start the week as winds whipped up across the region.
According to the Associated Press, a women’s World Cup giant slalom was canceled following the opening run Monday after increasingly strong winds destroyed parts of the finish area.
Chaos consumed the area as winds began tossing around fencing and sponsor banners, prompting organizers to send spectators away.
Storm Bella is the first windstorm to impact western Europe since the beginning of December when Storm Ernest moved into the Bay of Biscay and brought heavy rain and strong winds to northern Spain and the South of France.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Winter Weather
Storm Bella unleashed hurricane-force winds across parts of Europe
By Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Dec 29, 2020 8:37 PM EDT
Storm Bella lashed the coasts of France and England, bringing flooding inland on Dec. 27.
Water rescues and train disruptions were all too common as Windstorm Bella roared through northwestern Europe during the holiday weekend.
Storm Bella was named by the Met Office last Thursday and descended on the United Kingdom and Ireland just in time for the Christmas and Boxing Day weekend, bringing disruptions to travel or outdoor holiday plans.
Bella tracked from near Iceland to the northern U.K. on Saturday, before it drifted to the south on Sunday.
Wind gusts of 40-60 mph (60-100 km/h) were common across the U.K., Ireland and northern France over the weekend with areas that had gusts of 60-80 mph (100-130 km/h) on Saturday. These winds led to power cuts, downed trees and caused localized damage to exposed buildings.
The strongest wind gust of the weekend was measured at 106 mph (171 km/h) which occurred at the Needles, located on the Isles of Wight in the English Channel, on Saturday night.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Wind gusts of 104 mph (167 km/h), 86 mph (139 km/h) and 83 mph (134 km/h) were recorded at Cairngorm Summit in Scotland, Great Dune Fell in Northern England and Aberdaron in north Wales, respectively.
Strong winds from Bella whipped through Brighton and Hove, located along the southern coast of England, through Saturday night. The aftermath could be seen on Sunday as damage was reported and sea foam littered the coastal towns.
Sand was seen racing across a beach in Pendine, Wales, on Saturday. Winds reportedly gusted as strong as 57 mph (92 km/h) in this area.
According to the Guardian, hundreds were left without power across Plymouth and Truro as well as in Cardiff, Swansea, Telford in Shropshire, and Nottingham.
Strong onshore winds also led to areas of coastal flooding and high waves to parts of the U.K. and northern France, which was welcome news for surfers in the area.
Related:
In addition to coastal flooding, areas of heavy rainfall prompted evacuations and flood prevention measures across the country.
The Met Office issued 112 flood warnings across a swath of land from Cornwall to Kent, The Guardian reported, as weekend rainfall totals climbed to 25-50 mm (1-2 inches) across the region. Shap, England, a village located in the far northern part of the country, received a total of 65 mm (2.55 inches) of rain over the weekend.
The Guardian reported that multiple boat rescues took place in the U.K. after residents became trapped after attempting to drive through floodwaters.
Flood defenses, extra pumps and sandbags were put in place across the region to prevent additional flooding.
Train services were impacted across the U.K. as floodwaters and downed trees blocked tracks.
Areas of rain and snow showers along with gusty winds are expected to taper off across the British Isles into Tuesday as Bella continues to dip south. The storm is forecast to spread unsettled weather across southern Europe through the middle of the week, including portions of the Balkan Peninsula that were rocked by an earthquake on Tuesday.
Impacts were felt across southern and central Europe to start the week as winds whipped up across the region.
According to the Associated Press, a women’s World Cup giant slalom was canceled following the opening run Monday after increasingly strong winds destroyed parts of the finish area.
Chaos consumed the area as winds began tossing around fencing and sponsor banners, prompting organizers to send spectators away.
Storm Bella is the first windstorm to impact western Europe since the beginning of December when Storm Ernest moved into the Bay of Biscay and brought heavy rain and strong winds to northern Spain and the South of France.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo