Britain, Battered by Weather Bomb, Sees Floods, Landslides, and Travel Chaos

Britain was battered by a major storm over the weekend that brought widespread flooding, high winds, and significant damage, as well as widespread travel chaos.

The storm christened Storm Dennis by the U.K. Meteorological Office and classified as a “weather bomb,” was the second strongest non-tropical storm on record in the North Atlantic Ocean.

With winds in excess of hurricane force, the storm brought widespread damage and chaos to parts of England, Scotland, and Wales.

Several hundred flood warnings were issued in various parts of the country.

“We are urging people to follow the safety advice from officials and to keep a close eye on the latest Met Office weather warnings,” said Andy Page, the Met Office’s chief meteorologist.

The weather caused massive air-traffic delays in Europe, given London Heathrow’s predominant position as the busiest airport in Europe and the second busiest in the world. Over 4,400 flights were delayed in Europe and 454 were cancelled on Sunday, with approximately 3,000 delays and 398 cancellations on Saturday, although some of the delays and cancellations were due to what Heathrow Airport termed a “technical issue” that left the displays that direct passengers to their gates frozen.

A number of rail operators closed routes and cancelled services due to flooding, after bridges were closed and roads became submerged in many parts of the region. The weather caused ferry cancellations in Western Scotland and a landslide in Wales.

It came as parts of the region were still recovering from last week’s storm, called Ciara by the Met Office, Sabine in Western Europe and Elsa in Norway, that left at least five people dead after devastating Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, and Poland with winds of over 90 mph (145 km/h).  It too caused the cancellation of hundreds of flights and train services.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)