The 2022 European derecho was a violent

derecho A ''derecho'' (, from es, derecho, link=no , 'straight') is a widespread, long-lived, straight-line wind storm that is associated with a fast-moving group of severe thunderstorms known as a mesoscale convective system. Derechos can cause hurri ...

which resulted in heavy wind on the French island of Corsica and in parts of northern Italy, Austria, Slovenia, and southern

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

on 18 August 2022 which traveled over 1,000 km. The event resulted in 12 fatalities, and at least 116 others have been injured.

Meteorological history

Lighting from European August 2022 Derecho

Mesoscale Convective System A mesoscale convective system (MCS) is a complex of thunderstorms that becomes organized on a scale larger than the individual thunderstorms but smaller than extratropical cyclones, and normally persists for several hours or more. A mesoscale con ...

(MCS) formed during the night from 17 to 18 August over the northern Balearic Islands and then rapidly moved towards the northeast, hitting Corsica early in the morning. The

weather radar Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar (WSR) and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, and estimate its type (rain, snow, hail etc.). Modern weather radars are mostly pulse- ...

images show that the line of thunderstorms gradually arched an became a

bow echo A bow echo is the characteristic radar return from a mesoscale convective system that is shaped like an archer's bow. These systems can produce severe straight-line winds and occasionally tornadoes, causing major damage. They can also become de ...

with the descent of the mid-level jet on the western flank of the MCS, producing powerful gusts of wind at the surface. The system affected Northern Italy afterward and Austria, all within a 12-hour period. Météo-France was criticized for only triggering an Orange Vigilance by the morning, after the first reports of wind. Even if, according to some specialists, a

numerical weather prediction Numerical weather prediction (NWP) uses mathematical models of the atmosphere and oceans to predict the weather based on current weather conditions. Though first attempted in the 1920s, it was not until the advent of computer simulation in th ...

simulation was predicting such an exceptional event, a spokesman for Météo-France defended the organization by saying that not all did because they do not yet represent these very localized phenomena well enough.

Impact

Corsica

In Corsica, at least five people died and 20 were injured. Four injuries were serious, and 125 water rescues were also required. Winds up to were reported at Marignana with widespread gusts of ( Sari-d'Orcino) to (

L'Île-Rousse L'Île-Rousse (; co, Lìsula, , or , ; it, Isola Rossa, ; ) is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. It was founded in 1758 by Pasquale Paoli to create a port that would not be in the hands of the Geno ...

), including in the capital of Ajaccio. At one point, it was believed that 350 people were missing, but all have since been found alive.

Northern Italy

In Italy, two people were killed by falling trees in

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

. At least 41 others were injured in the region. Masonry on the belltower of St Mark's Basilica in Venice was damaged. In

Piombino Piombino is an Italian town and ''comune'' of about 35,000 inhabitants in the province of Livorno (Tuscany). It lies on the border between the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, in front of Elba Island and at the northern side of Maremma. Ove ...

, the wind spun a

ferris wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a Giant Wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondolas, capsule ...

out of control, detaching at least one of the empty cabins. Winds gusted as high as .

Austria

In Austria, five people died and 14 were injured, mostly by falling trees. Winds caused waves to get up to , and over 65,000 Austrians lost power.

Slovenia

In Slovenia, at least four people were injured.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:European derecho, 2022 2022 meteorology 2022 natural disasters

Derecho A ''derecho'' (, from es, derecho, link=no , 'straight') is a widespread, long-lived, straight-line wind storm that is associated with a fast-moving group of severe thunderstorms known as a mesoscale convective system. Derechos can cause hurri ...

August 2022 events in Austria August 2022 events in the Czech Republic August 2022 events in France August 2022 events in Italy August 2022 events in Slovenia Derechos