In Scotland this year, a powerful storm by the name of Storm Babet caused significant disruptions and damages.The weather was extremely unsettling, with strong gusts of wind that made it difficult to walk. Additionally, I observed heavy currents in the sea, which were quite alarming. The storm lasted for over three days, and I managed to capture the entire experience through videos that I recorded during this time. Overall, it was a nerve-wracking experience
In October 2023, the United Kingdom was hit by a severe storm named Babet, which caused widespread and disruptive weather impacts. The storm brought exceptional rainfall to parts of eastern Scotland, with some areas receiving 150 to 200mm of rainfall, resulting in the issuance of two red warnings for rain by the Met Office. The county of Angus, which was within this red warning area, experienced the wettest day on record on 19th October, with heavy, persistent, and widespread rain also affecting much of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland from the 18th to the 20th. During this period, approximately 100mm of rainfall fell fairly widely, making it the third-wettest independent 3-day period for England and Wales since 1891. Additionally, the Midlands also recorded its wettest 3-day period on record.
Babet also brought strong winds, gusting at over 50Kt (58mph) across north-east England and much of Scotland. The storm's impact was prolonged due to a blocking area of high pressure over Scandinavia that prevented Babet from clearing the UK eastwards into the North Sea. As a result, these wind speeds were sustained for an extended period, resulting in atrocious weather conditions, with a gust of 67Kt (77mph) reported in Inverbervie (Kincardineshire) and winds gusting at over 100Kt (115mph) across Scotland's mountain summits.
The impacts of Storm Babet were severe and widespread, with multiple severe flood warnings issued by the Environment Agency (EA) and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). The storm reportedly caused the deaths of at least seven people, while hundreds of homes and businesses were flooded in Scotland Additionally, the storm damaged a bridge on the main A90 trunk road, resulting in its closure between Forfar and Brechin, and schools across Angus were closed.
In England, over 1000 homes were affected by flooding across Yorkshire, the East Midlands, and the Humber area. In Chesterfield (Derbyshire), around 400 homes were flooded, while 500 homes were evacuated in Retford (Nottinghamshire). The Stafford and Wrexham areas also experienced widespread flooding, while Derby's Museum of Making was flooded. In Suffolk, flooding was so severe that a major incident was declared. The storm also severely affected rail services on the East Coast due to flooded lines, and Kings Cross station in London had to be temporarily closed due to overcrowding. Other rail services in Scotland and northern England were either cancelled or severely disrupted.
18 сен 2024
