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Hurricane low “Zeynep” sets new records
Around the North Sea, people had to take cover from storm “Zeynep” on Friday. Ireland and Great Britain were also hit hard by the second hurricane within a few days – here the low was called “Eunice”. According to the British weather office, the Atlantic storm set new record wind speeds. A gust measured on the Isle of Wight at 196 kilometers per hour is the strongest that has ever been measured in England. The storm disrupted power to more than 100,000 people and destroyed the roof of London’s O2 Arena. At some airports, the hurricane gusts were so strong that planes had to be diverted to other airports, such as from London to Paris. A live broadcast from Heathrow Airport was watched online by more than 200,000 people. A man has died in Ireland after being hit by a falling tree while clearing storm debris. There were also several victims in the Netherlands. Falling trees killed at least three people. As everywhere, the fire brigade was in constant use. The government sent out text message alerts urging people to stay indoors. 390 flights were diverted from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Under these conditions, only very few were drawn to the beach, like here in Belgium. Blessed are those who could stand on their feet in this breeze.
According to the British weather office, a gust measured on the Isle of Wight was the strongest ever measured in England at 196 kilometers per hour.