Storm Eunice Brings Strong Winds and Damage in the UK and Europe

Storm Eunice wreaks havoc across the UK and some parts of central, northern Europe after following the path of Storm Dudley over recent days.

Eunice unleashed record-breaking strong winds with a destructive force, causing damage, travel disruption, and killing five people in Europe.

The duo storms formed over the Atlantic Ocean and traversed the UK and passed through Europe, affecting multiple countries, such as Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, and Poland.

Travel chaos, power outages, fallen trees, and casualties were reported.

Travel Impact on the UK

(Photo : National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) via Getty Images)

Storm Eunice struck the UK on Friday, Feb. 18, prompting hundreds of schools into countrywide closure and Prime Minister Boris Johnson to prepare the military for support even before the storm arrived.

Furthermore, the UK authorities urged millions of Britons to cancel their travel plans.

A demonstration of the widespread damage of Eunice was reported in London, England, on Friday when some sections of the famous 02 Arena collapsed.

It also caused the evacuation of visitors of the arena, a landmark located in Greenwich, south-east London, as per the BBC news.

Furthermore, there were reports of flight delays at the Heathrow Airport and the Stansted Airport in London due to strong winds reaching up to 61 mph, as per AccuWeather.

The flight delays approximately took at least an hour.

In addition, wind gusts of up to 70 to 80mph occurred in major cities like Edinburgh.

Moreover, the storm cut train services in England, Scotland, and Wales.

Although the severe weather effects caused disruption and damage, there were no immediate reports of casualties across the UK.

Also read: Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice: Severe Weather Warnings Issued to England and Across the UK

Casualties and Damage in Europe

Five people have been reported killed in Europe as the two consecutive storms shifted from the UK.

Power lines went down and travel was also disrupted in central and northern Europe, according to the Associated Press.

The storms affected a large portion of the continent with some countries, such as Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, and Poland, reeling from its severe weather, highlighted by strong winds on a continental level.

In the Netherlands, domestic and international flights were affected at the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, with Lufthansa and other airlines canceling several flights because of the storm.

In addition, some domestic and international trains in the country were also canceled.

In Hungary and Poland, two flights were re-routed between the two countries to avoid strong winds.

Meanwhile, in Germany, three motorists were killed due to fallen trees and a vehicular accident caused by strong winds.

Two of the motorists died in the town of Bad Bevensen, south of Hamburg; while the other motorist died near the city of Osnabrueck.

Strong winds also killed two people in Poland after the storms caused the collapse of a construction crane.

Further Weather Warnings in the UK

In the aftermath of storms Eunice and Dudley, there are ongoing severe weather warnings for rain and wind across the UK from Saturday to Sunday, Feb. 19 to Feb. 20, as per the Meteorological Office (Met Office), the UK's official weather service agency.