2017–18 European Windstorm Season
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The 2017–2018 European windstorm season was the third instance of seasonal
European windstorm European windstorms are powerful extratropical cyclones which form as cyclone, cyclonic windstorms associated with areas of low atmospheric pressure. They can occur throughout the year, but are most frequent between October and March, with peak ...
naming. France, Spain and Portugal took part in winter storm naming for the first time this season. The season started on 12 September 2017 with the formation of Storm Aileen. It was subsequently marked by many high-impact storms which caused severe loss of life and widespread damage, including
Ophelia Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama ''Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet. Due to Hamlet's actions, Ophelia ultima ...
,
Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It was the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages">Provençal dialect ...
,
David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...
and Emma. The season concluded on 17 June 2018 with the dissipation of off-season Storm Hector.


Background and naming

In 2015, the Met Office and Met Éireann announced a pilot project to name storm warnings as part of the ''Name our Storms'' project for wind storms and asked the public for suggestions. The meteorological offices produced a full list of names for 2015–16 and 2016–17, common to both the UK and Ireland. A new list of names was released on 6 September 2017 for the 2017–18 season. Names in the UK will be based on the
National Severe Weather Warning Service The National Severe Weather Warning Service (shortened to NSWWS) is a service provided by the Met Office in the United Kingdom. The purpose of this service is to warn the public and emergency responders of severe or hazardous weather which has t ...
, when a storm is assessed to have the potential for an Amber 'be prepared' or Red 'take action (danger to life)' warning. A storm will be named when it is deemed able to have a "substantial" impact on the UK or Ireland. They will be taken from the list, in alphabetical order, alternating between male and female names—the same naming convention that is used by the United States for tropical cyclones. In the case of storms resulting from ex-
tropical storms A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...
and
hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...
, the original name allocated by the US National Hurricane Center will be used, an example of which during this season being
Ophelia Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama ''Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet. Due to Hamlet's actions, Ophelia ultima ...
. Met Éireann name any storm which triggers a status Orange or Red weather warning for wind. The basis for such, as outlined on their weather warning service, are mean wind speeds in excess of or gusts over . Similarly, the Met Office name storms that have the potential to cause medium (Amber) or high (Red) impacts to the UK. It describes the wind strength relative to observations such as "falling trees or tiles, other items like garden furniture being blown around and even a number of properties left without electrical power." On 1 December 2017, the national meteorological services of Spain (
Aemet The State Meteorological Agency (, AEMET) is a state agency of the Government of Spain responsible for providing weather forecast, warnings of hazardous weather and assisting the administrations in such matters. The AEMET is part of the Secretari ...
), France (
Météo-France Météo-France is the official French meteorological administration, also offering services to Andorra and Monaco. It has the powers of the state and can exercise them in relation to meteorology. Météo-France is in charge of observing, study ...
) and Portugal ( IPMA) announced that they would begin naming storms affecting their nations in co-ordination, under the auspices of
EUMETNET EUMETNET (European Meteorological Network) is a network of 33 European National Meteorological Services based in Brussels, Belgium. It exists to provide a framework to organise co-operative programmes between the members in fields of meteorology, ...
.


United Kingdom and Ireland

The Met Office's and Met Éireann's announcements of the season's names also noted that Fionn is to be pronounced ''Fyunn'', Niall is to be pronounced ''Nye-ul'' and Tali is to be pronounced ''Tarly''.


France, Spain and Portugal


Other naming systems

One former
Atlantic hurricane An Atlantic hurricane is a type of tropical cyclone that forms in the Atlantic Ocean primarily between June and November. The terms "hurricane", "typhoon", and "cyclone, tropical cyclone" can be used interchangeably to describe this weather ph ...
transitioned into a
European windstorm European windstorms are powerful extratropical cyclones which form as cyclone, cyclonic windstorms associated with areas of low atmospheric pressure. They can occur throughout the year, but are most frequent between October and March, with peak ...
and retained its name as assigned by the
National Hurricane Center The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the IERS Reference Meridian, Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian ...
in
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
,
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
: Another internationally recognised, but unofficial, naming system for European windstorms is the ''Adopt a Vortex'' program of the
Free University of Berlin The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public university, public research university in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in West Berlin in 1948 with American support during the early Cold War period a ...
. Participants can ask the FUB to give their names, for example as a birthday present, to high or low pressure systems that affect European weather. The naming service of the FUB is commercial and is the main meteorological naming system in Germany. The names Xavier and Herwart were given by the FUB to major storms this season. Its naming program is recognised in some other European countries, although the British-Irish and the French-Spanish-Portuguese naming co-operations are gaining importance. Furthermore, besides of the three internationally recognised naming systems (the two European co-operations and the FUB system), many European countries (Norway, Finland, Denmark etc.) give their own names to cyclones. One of the 16 storms of the season was not named by the three main naming systems: instead it was called ''Cora'' in Norway and ''Aku'' in Finland.


Season summary

ImageSize = width:1100 height:200 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:80 right:20 left:20 Legend = columns:1 left:30 top:58 columnwidth:200. AlignBars = early DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/09/2017 till:01/09/2018 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMinor = grid:black unit:month increment:1 start:01/09/2017 Colors = id:canvas value:gray(0.9) id:4 value:blue legend:United_Kingdom_&_Ireland_naming_list id:5 value:red legend:France,_Spain_&_Portugal_naming_list id:6 value:black legend:Ex-Hurricanes Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas BarData = barset:Hurricane bar:Month PlotData= barset:Hurricane width:10 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till from:12/09/2017 till:18/09/2017 color:4 text:"
Aileen Aileen is an Irish feminine given name, a variant of Eileen. Notable people with this name include: People * Aileen Adams (born 1923), British consultant anaesthetist * Aileen Allen (1888–1950), American diver * Aileen Armitage (born 1930), ...
" from:16/10/2017 till:20/10/2017 color:6 text:"
Ophelia Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama ''Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet. Due to Hamlet's actions, Ophelia ultima ...
" from:19/10/2017 till:23/10/2017 color:4 text:"
Brian Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan (given name), Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish language, Irish and Breton language, Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan language, Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. ...
" from:06/12/2017 till:11/12/2017 color:4 text:" Caroline" from:10/12/2017 till:16/12/2017 color:5 text:"
Ana Ana or ANA may refer to: People * Ana (given name), a list of people with the name * Ana people or Atakpame people, an ethnic group of West Africa * ana (gamer), Anathan Pham, an Australian professional ''Dota 2'' player known as ana Places * A ...
" from:26/12/2017 till:30/12/2017 color:5 text:"
Bruno Bruno may refer to: People and fictional characters * Bruno (name), including lists of people and fictional characters with either the given name or surname * Bruno, Duke of Saxony (died 880) * Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologn ...
" from:30/12/2017 till:03/01/2018 color:4 text:" Dylan" barset:break from:31/12/2017 till:03/01/2018 color:5 text:"
Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...
" from:02/01/2018 till:05/01/2018 color:4 text:"
Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It was the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages">Provençal dialect ...
" from:14/01/2018 till:21/01/2018 color:4 text:" Fionn" from:17/01/2018 till:21/01/2018 color:5 text:"
David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...
" from:23/01/2018 till:27/01/2018 color:4 text:" Georgina" from:26/02/2018 till:07/03/2018 color:5 text:" Emma" from:09/03/2018 till:16/03/2018 color:5 text:" Felix" barset:break from:14/03/2018 till:18/03/2018 color:5 text:"
Gisele ''Giselle'' is a ballet. Giselle, Gisele, Gisèle, Gisselle, may also refer to: People * Giselle (given name), a given name and list of people with the name * Gisele (given name) and 'Gisèle', a given name and list of people with the name * Gisel ...
" from:23/03/2018 till:29/03/2018 color:5 text:" Hugo" from:15/04/2018 till:25/04/2018 color:5 text:"
Irene Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United States ...
" from:13/06/2018 till:17/06/2018 color:4 text:"
Hector In Greek mythology, Hector (; , ) was a Trojan prince, a hero and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. He is a major character in Homer's ''Iliad'', where he leads the Trojans and their allies in the defense of Troy, killing c ...
" barset:Hurricane width:10 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till bar:Month width:5 align:center fontsize:S shift:(0,-20) anchor:middle color:canvas from:01/09/2017 till:30/09/2017 text:September from:01/10/2017 till:31/10/2017 text:October from:01/11/2017 till:30/11/2017 text:November from:01/12/2017 till:31/12/2017 text:December from:01/01/2018 till:31/01/2018 text:January from:01/02/2018 till:28/02/2018 text:February from:01/03/2018 till:31/03/2018 text:March from:01/04/2018 till:30/04/2018 text:April from:01/05/2018 till:31/05/2018 text:May from:01/06/2018 till:30/06/2018 text:June from:01/07/2018 till:31/07/2018 text:July from:01/08/2018 till:31/08/2018 text:August TextData = pos:(570,30) text: pos:(618,30) text:
The 2017–18 UK and Ireland windstorm season began on September with storm Aileen, which brought strong winds to Scotland and Northern England on 13 September. Then followed
Ophelia Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama ''Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet. Due to Hamlet's actions, Ophelia ultima ...
which was once a Category 3 major hurricane and the easternmost major hurricane on record; a red (severe) wind warning was issued for many parts in Ireland. Less than a week later, storm Brian rapidly intensified from a trough of low pressure out in the Atlantic. After a rather quiet November without any named systems (like quiet Septembers and Octobers of the previous two years), Caroline and Dylan formed in December followed by Eleanor early in January 2018. In the middle of January, the extremely deep and large arctic low Fionn affected both the UK and Ireland and steered David, a smaller but more intense storm, on a westerly track over Ireland, the UK and Central Europe. The last storm in January was Georgina, a cyclone that mainly affected Ireland and Scotland. A total of 10 storms affected both the UK and Ireland in that season. Three of these—Ophelia, David and Emma—were named by foreign agencies. Six storms were named by the new co-operation of the meteorological services of France, Spain and Portugal. Two of these—David and Emma—also affected Britain and Ireland significantly. The impact of the deadly winter storm Emma was intensified by the collision with the
Beast from the East ''Beast from the East'' is a live album recorded by the American heavy metal band Dokken in Japan in April 1988, during tour in support of their album '' Back for the Attack''. It was released on November 7, 1988. The album features live versi ...
cold wave (anticyclone Hartmut). Cora, another significant windstorm, affected Scandinavia, Norway and Sweden in particular. Cora delivered the highest known gust of the European windstorm season. As a European total, 18 windstorms (one "off-season") affected the continent.


Storms


Storm Aileen

Aileen formed on 12 September, with the
Met Office The Met Office, until November 2000 officially the Meteorological Office, is the United Kingdom's national weather and climate service. It is an executive agency and trading fund of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and ...
issuing an Amber wind warning, becoming the first named storm of the season. Aileen affected
Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
,
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
,
Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...
,
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
,
Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...
and
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
during the evening of 12 September and into the morning of 13 September with winds of over . Gusts up to around were also seen in exposed locations such as along coastlines and over high ground in these areas. A Yellow weather warning for rain was also issued for parts of Northern Ireland, northern England and southern Scotland, as Aileen dropped of rain within 6–9 hours in these areas, causing some disruption from localised flooding. The heaviest rainfall was recorded at
Bainbridge Bainbridge may refer to: People *Bainbridge (name) Places * Bainbridge Township (disambiguation) United States * Bainbridge Island, Alaska * Bainbridge, Georgia * Bainbridge, Indiana * Bainbridge (town), New York ** Bainbridge (village), New Yo ...
,
North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...
, with falling overnight. During Aileen, approximately 60,000 homes in Wales and almost 9,000 across England suffered power cuts. The strongest gusts, of , were recorded at
The Needles The Needles are a row of three stacks of chalk that rise about out of the sea off the western extremity of the Isle of Wight in the English Channel, United Kingdom, close to Alum Bay and Scratchell's Bay, and part of Totland, the weste ...
,
Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...
. The strongest gust on mainland Britain, of , was recorded at
Mumbles Mumbles () is a headland sited on the western edge of Swansea Bay on the southern coast of Wales. Toponym Mumbles has been noted for its place names considered unusual, unusual place name. The headland is thought by some to have been named by ...
, Wales. Aileen later crossed the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
and intensified, going on to affect
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, where it was known as '' Cyclone Sebastian''.


Ex-Hurricane Ophelia

On 12 October, the Met Office issued yellow weather warnings relating to the extra-tropical remnants of the former Hurricane Ophelia, estimated to affect the UK and Ireland on 16 October. Met Éireann issued an update on 12 October in response to media coverage about possible impacts which might occur in Ireland, highlighting the uncertainties still in the forecast modelling. Met Éireann asked people to keep up to date with changes in the forecast as the storm evolved and confidence in any likely impacts increased. On 14 October Met Éireann issued a red warning for the counties of
Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
, Mayo,
Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...
,
Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...
and Kerry for 16–17 October, (extended to
Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
,
Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
and
Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...
on 15 October) with an orange warning for the rest of the country. Red warnings were extended again on the evening of 15 October to the whole of Ireland. On 15 October the Met Office issued amber warnings for the six counties of
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, and updated the yellow warnings in place for England, Wales and Scotland. The Met Office updated its amber warnings to include parts of west Wales, southwest Scotland and the
Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...
on the morning of 16 October. In
County Waterford County Waterford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the city of Waterford. ...
, a woman was killed when a tree fell on her car, caused by the winds from Ophelia's remnants. A man died near
Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...
, County Louth, after a tree struck his car. A man was killed in
Cahir Cahir (; ) is a town in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is also a civil parish in the barony of Iffa and Offa West. Location and access For much of the twentieth century, Cahir stood at an intersection of two busy national roadways: the Dubli ...
, County Tipperary, while trying to clear a fallen tree with a chainsaw. Two more people were subsequently killed in Ireland from the combined effects of Ophelia and the subsequent Storm Brian.


Storm Brian

On 13 October, the US
National Hurricane Center The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the IERS Reference Meridian, Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian ...
designated a tropical wave in the Atlantic Ocean to the east of the
Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea, forming part of the West Indies in Caribbean, Caribbean region of the Americas. They are distinguished from the larger islands of the Greater Antilles to the west. They form an arc w ...
as Invest 92L, giving the system a 40% chance of developing into a tropical cyclone. The NHC continued monitoring the system as it moved slowly north-west, bringing heavy rainfall and flooding to
Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
and the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
and
US Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and a Territories of the United States, territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Isl ...
before turning to the north-east. However, on 16 October, the NHC discontinued monitoring the system as it passed
Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...
without any considerable impact, having failed to transition into a tropical cyclone. Subsequently, the area of low pressure began to rapidly intensify as it accelerated eastward across the open Atlantic, developing into a powerful extratropical cyclone. On 19 October, Met Éireann issued an orange wind warning for 21 October in counties Galway and Mayo, thus naming storm Brian. On 20 October Met Éireann extended orange warnings to the counties of Clare, Kerry, Waterford and Wexford. The UK
Environment Agency The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enha ...
warned that storm Brian could combine with high tides and lead to a heightened risk of flooding on the south coast of the UK. Brian moved over
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
close to
Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
around 07:00 local time on 21 October. A 67-year-old man drowned after being swept from the sea wall at
Dawlish Dawlish is a seaside resort town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Teignbridge district in Devon, England. It is located on the south coast of England at a distance of from the city of Exeter and a similar distance from the to ...
during the storm. Two more people were killed in Ireland from the combined effects of Brian and the prior Ex-Hurricane Ophelia.


Storm Caroline

The Met Office named storm Caroline on 5 December to affect Scotland on 7 December, with a yellow warning for wind, which was upgraded on 6 December to an amber warning for the Western Isles, Northern Isles and northern Scotland. Met Éireann issued a yellow warning for wind to the counties of Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare and Kerry.


Storm Ana

Storm Ana was the first storm to ever be officially named by
Météo-France Météo-France is the official French meteorological administration, also offering services to Andorra and Monaco. It has the powers of the state and can exercise them in relation to meteorology. Météo-France is in charge of observing, study ...
,
Aemet The State Meteorological Agency (, AEMET) is a state agency of the Government of Spain responsible for providing weather forecast, warnings of hazardous weather and assisting the administrations in such matters. The AEMET is part of the Secretari ...
and IPMA. It formed on 10 December as an area of low pressure that underwent explosive cyclogenesis to the northwest of Iberia passing through the Bay of Biscay into France on the morning of 11 December. It then took a northeasterly direction to affect the Low Countries, Germany, Austria, Scandinavia and eventually Russia. The highest gusts from Ana reached in the
Austrian Alps The Central Eastern Alps (), also referred to as Austrian Central Alps () or just Central Alps, comprise the Main chain of the Alps, main chain of the Eastern Alps in Austria and the adjacent regions of Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy and Slov ...
, and its minimal pressure reached on the morning of 11 December. Severe flooding was reported in the
Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...
region of northern
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
on 12 December, caused by heavy rainfall from a trailing front from Ana and rapid snowmelt due to a large temperature rise caused by Ana's passage. Damage from flooding in Italy reached €105 million.


Storm Bruno

On 26 December 2017, wind warnings were issued in Spain for an area of low pressure that was expected to undergo
explosive cyclogenesis Explosive cyclogenesis (also referred to as a weather bomb, meteorological bomb, explosive development, bomb cyclone, or bombogenesis) is the rapid deepening of an extratropical cyclonic low-pressure area. The change in pressure needed to class ...
. Ultimately, Storm Bruno brought over of snow, wind gusts exceeding , and waves as high as to Spain. One fatality occurred after a man drowned while windsurfing in rough seas. Another fatality occurred after a man was swept off his balcony by high winds and onto his patio, where he immediately succumbed to his injuries.


Storm Dylan

Storm Dylan affected the UK on New Year's Eve. This was the sixth storm of the 2017/2018 winter, and was a fairly typical Atlantic Storm, with winds gusting at 58 mph around exposed coastlines. There were reports of fallen trees across Northern Ireland, fallen trees in the south-west of England and some travel disruption. Snow and ice caused some travel disruption over the Pennines too. Weathermen were required to know which way the wind blew as many were forced to take shelter from the storm. As typical for Storm Dylan, a hard rain did indeed fall, buckets of it in fact, with many caught blowing in the wind, though never quite becoming a hurricane.


Storm Carmen

Storm Carmen began as an area of low pressure in late December 2017. The storm went under some intensification before affecting France and other western European countries with strong winds. A man was killed by Carmen as a tree had fallen on his car during new year celebrations, and a wind turbine was blown over in the western Vendée region due to extreme winds.


Storm Eleanor

Named by Met Éireann on 1 January with Amber Wind Warning in force for 2 January. Forecast to bring gusts of into the evening. The Met Office also issued a Yellow Wind Warning for 2–3 January, only to upgrade it to an amber warning across Northern England and Southern Scotland 3 hours prior making landfall in the UK. As Eleanor neared Ireland, it brought heavy rainfall and squally weather followed by very strong gusts of in Knock Airport in Republic of Ireland. As Eleanor tracked further North-east she continued to strengthen as a sting-jet like feature was evident, however, it did not form. Eleanor also produced thunderstorms and intense hail across England and Wales. The worst damage happened in Northern Ireland. According to the UK Met Office, gusts reached in Orlock Head, while a mountain weather station in Great Dun Fell recorded gusts.


Storm Fionn

On 16 January Met Éireann issued orange marine weather warnings for wind to storm force from
Roches Point Roche (F. Hoffmann–La Roche) is a Swiss healthcare company. Roche may also refer to: Companies *Roche Diagnostics, a division of F. Hoffmann–La Roche ** Roche Applied Science, a business group of Roche Diagnostics *The Roche Group, an Austra ...
to Slyne Head to
Malin Head Malin Head () is the Extreme points of Ireland, most northerly point of mainland Ireland, located in the townland of Ardmalin on the Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal. The head's northernmost point is called Dunalderagh at latitude 55.38ºN ...
, along with orange national weather warnings for Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Cork and Kerry for 16–17 January, so naming storm Fionn. This system, also called Evi by the FUB, was meteorologically speaking a very deep and large
Icelandic low The Icelandic Low is a semi-permanent centre of low atmospheric pressure found between Iceland and southern Greenland and extending in the Northern Hemisphere winter into the Barents Sea. In the summer, it weakens and splits into two centres, one ...
that bottomed out at a central pressure of and dominated the weather in the North Atlantic and Northern Europe for several days in the middle of January 2018. This low had a large and intense wind field on its southern flank, fuelling a strong jetstream that steered the less deep but much more catastrophic Cyclone David into the UK and Ireland and Central Europe on 18 January. After the arrival of David, Fionn weakened and David became the more dominant low, leading to the decay and dissipation of Fionn. As Fionn neared Ireland, it brought heavy winds to Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Clare, Leitrim and Cork. On 16 January the Met Office sent out a clarifying tweet that Fionn was only expected to bring strong winds to western Ireland, with impacts to the UK to be expected to be below their warning thresholds. In the tweet they pointed to a separate weather system to affect the UK on 17–18 January, later named David by MeteoFrance, this name was reciprocally adopted by the Met Office and Met Eireann. The low David was named Friederike by the Free University of Berlin, with the name Georgina at that time remaining unused. Met Éireann's decision to name Fionn was met with some criticism from some meteorologists, Liam Dutton tweeted that he thought the warning did not strictly accompany a cyclonic area of low pressure, but a "squeeze of isobars" circulating a low hundreds of kilometres (miles) distant in the region of the Faroes, stating that it "needed no more than a standard weather warning". He highlighted the difference in criteria for naming storms employed by the Met Office and Met Éireann (the UK Met Office uses an impact-based criteria, based on the level of expected impacts the weather will bring, whereas the Irish Met Éireann uses fixed numerical criteria, meaning a storm will be named when mean wind speeds are likely to occur, between and/or gusts between ). Evelyn Cusack of Met Éireann said that she understood Dutton's point, stating that his criticisms were well made. She reiterated that the orange warning issued by Met Éireann fulfilled their criteria for naming the storm, producing severe winds,
coastal flooding Coastal flooding occurs when dry and low-lying land is submerged (flooded) by seawater. The range of a coastal Flood, flooding is a result of the elevation of floodwater that penetrates the inland which is controlled by the topography of the coas ...
and high waves on the Irish coast, even if the centre of circulation was distant.


Storm David/Friederike

Storm David (also named Friederike), affected an area of Europe from northern France and England, through the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and the Alps to Poland and the Czech Republic, starting on the evening of 17 January until 19 January. David brought heavy snowfall on its northern flank and high winds (sustained winds up to Bft. 11, widespread hurricane-force gusts) on its southern flank. In some locations, both the high winds and the snowfall occurred, creating
blizzard A blizzard is a severe Winter storm, snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow th ...
conditions.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Amsterdam Airport Schiphol , known informally as Schiphol Airport (, ), is the main international airport of the Netherlands, and is one of the major hubs for the SkyTeam airline alliance. It is located southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipal ...
was closed, as well as some airports in Germany. European railroad companies (e.g. the
Deutsche Bahn (, ; abbreviated as DB or DB AG ) is the national railway company of Germany, and a state-owned enterprise under the control of the German government. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). DB was fou ...
in Germany) could only offer very limited transportation services, if any. Road traffic was similarly disrupted by windthrow, snow, ice, high
crosswinds A crosswind is any wind that has a perpendicular component to the line or direction of travel. This affects the aerodynamics of many forms of transport. Moving non-parallel to the wind direction creates a crosswind component on the object and th ...
, and by traffic jams that were caused by incidents related to the storm. Widespread damage to manmade structures and to forests occurred. Germany was the worst-hit country as there were 10 known deaths as well as a damage total as high as several hundreds of millions. David/Friederike was the most devastating windstorm in Germany after
Cyclone Kyrill Cyclone Kyrill was a low-pressure area that evolved into an unusually violent European windstorm, forming an extratropical cyclone with hurricane-strength winds. It formed over Newfoundland on 15 January 2007 and moved across the Atlantic Oce ...
in 2007. Coincidentally, Friederike and Kyrill both struck Central Europe on 18 January, albeit 11 years apart. This storm, which proved to have catastrophic effects, originated from a low pressure trough in the Western Atlantic that stretched from the Southern Caribbean to Newfoundland on 14 January — 16. After gaining a closed circulation near or over Newfoundland on 16 January, the new cyclone entered the very strong southern wind field of the Icelandic Low Fionn, crossing the Atlantic in less than two days and being steered into Europe. Upon the formation of the precursor trough, the GFS and
ECMWF The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is an independent intergovernmental organisation supported by most of the nations of Europe. It is based at three sites: Shinfield, Shinfield Park, Reading, Berkshire, Reading, Unite ...
correctly predicted that system to impact Europe as a windstorm. Between 14 and 19 January, the binary storm complex that consisted of Fionn and David brought high winds and snowfall to large portions of Europe. After the storms have passed, they left behind an improved weather situation in Europe that was calmer, drier and warmer. The storm also brought some hurricane-force gusts and heavy snowfall to Britain and Ireland and caused 140,000 power cuts there. Nevertheless, the storm impacted the Netherlands and Germany in a much more dramatic way. The UK Met Office did not give David a name from its own storm naming list as it did not expect the storm to have a significant impact on Britain, which proved to be an underestimation.


Storm Georgina

Georgina was a fairly typical winter storm with maximum gust speeds of 60 to 70 mph around exposed coastlines, but gusts approached 60 mph inlands across parts of England and Wales.The strongest winds were near the centre of the low across northern Scotland, with the highest gust of 85 mph at South Uist, Western Isles. Winds gusted close to 115 mph across the tops of the Scottish mountains and here there were very challenging conditions with snow at high levels adding to already very significant accumulations for the winter so far. The storm hampered the search for a missing hillwalker on Ben Nevis who had previously fallen through a cornice.


Storm Emma

Storm Emma (also named Ulrike) was named while it was centred over the Azores and threatened to strike Western Europe as a
blizzard A blizzard is a severe Winter storm, snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow th ...
. The cyclone affected
Iberia The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...
,
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
and
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
on its track, causing high winds and snowfall, leading to blizzard conditions. As Emma neared southwest England, it brought new cold air to the UK and Ireland, prolonging the cold period. Meteorologists observed the collision of Emma and Anticyclone Hartmut dubbed the ''Beast from the East'' by the press, and the interaction of the two highly different air masses worsened the wind and snowfall posed by Emma. Starting on 1 March 2018, the collision of Emma and Hartmut triggered numerous hurricane-force gusts in southern Europe and the United Kingdom. The highest of these gusts occurred in the morning of 1 March on Mount Aigoual in southern France at . On 1 March 2018, UK authorities issued a red warning in Wales and south-west England as citizens in Scotland spent up to 20 hours in their cars stuck in traffic in frigid weather and a 46-year-old
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
man died in a motor vehicle accident on the A34. Schools across the UK were closed in the face of oncoming blizzards, strong winds, and heavy snowfall. Traffic was significantly hindered by the ''Beast from the East''. In
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
commuters near
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
were stranded by snow and had to freed by farmers with tractors, a minimum of 20 cars and HGVs were snowed in on the A46 close to
Faldingworth Faldingworth is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the A46, and approximately south-west from Market Rasen. Spridlington parish lies to the west, and Friesthorpe parish to the s ...
. The
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
deployed 4×4 vehicles to transport health and emergency workers. Trains were cancelled across the UK, with over 20 rail operators running at reduced capacity; London's
Paddington Station Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a London station group, London railway station and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services provided by ...
closed for about three hours and 50 stations in
Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
closed because of inclement weather. Air travel has been similarly curtailed, as terminals all over the country cancel flights. At least three people died in the UK as a result of the storm. In
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
snow began to fall in the east of the country on Tuesday 27 February. Snow continued in the east on Wednesday the 28th, with well over reported in many areas. Schools closed on Wednesday the 28th in affected areas. Panic buying of food was seen as Storm Emma approached. Emma made landfall on the south coast on Thursday 1 March and swept northward. All schools were closed on Thursday 1 March and Friday the 2nd nationwide with a red weather warning put in place by Met Eireann. High winds and heavy snowfall on top of the already lying snow led to drifting and severe disruption. Many roads were left impassable, particularly in rural areas and in North
Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 10,302, making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. It is home to Kildare Cathedral, historically the site of an important abbey said to have been founded by Saint ...
, West
Wicklow Wicklow ( ; , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; ) is the county town of County Wicklow in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the east of Ireland, south of Dublin. According to the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had ...
and
Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...
respectively. Power outages and water cuts were reported widely. A
Lidl Lidl ( ) is a trademark, used by two Germany, German international discount supermarket, discount retailer chain store, chains that operates over 12,600 stores. The ''LD Stiftung'' operates the stores in Germany and the ''Lidl Stiftung & Co. K ...
supermarket was torn down and looted in Fortunestown,
Tallaght Tallaght ( ; , ) is a southwestern outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The central village area was the site of a monastic settlement from at least the 8th century, which became one of medieval Ireland's more important monastic centres. Up to th ...
during the chaos caused by the storm. Over of lying snow was reported in some locations, with drifts many feet high on many rural routes. Some rural villages were cut off for many days. A slow thaw ensued. Many schools remained closed in
Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 10,302, making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. It is home to Kildare Cathedral, historically the site of an important abbey said to have been founded by Saint ...
,
Wicklow Wicklow ( ; , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; ) is the county town of County Wicklow in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the east of Ireland, south of Dublin. According to the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had ...
and
Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...
on Monday 5 March as local authorities continued to attempt to clear roads.


Storm Felix

Storm Felix formed from the remnants of the
nor'easter A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below) is a large-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. Typically, such storms originate as a low ...
which affected the eastern United States in early March 2018. After moving out into the Atlantic, the low-pressure system which caused the nor'easter quickly deepened to a minimum pressure of . Felix was subsequently named by IPMA of Portugal on 9 March, as orange weather warnings were issued for
Madeira Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...
and surrounding islands. Winds gusting up to were recorded in the mountains of Madeira and up to at
Madeira Airport Madeira Airport () , informally Funchal Airport (), formerly Santa Catarina Airport () and officially Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport, is an international airport in the civil parish of Santa Cruz in the Portuguese archipelago and auton ...
. Felix subsequently approached mainland Portugal, where red wind warnings were issued along the central coast and winds reaching were observed. Red warnings were also issued ahead of the storm in northern Spain, as Felix veered northwards into the
Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay ( ) is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Point Penmarc'h to the Spanish border, and along the northern coast of Spain, extending westward ...
. Felix weakened as it moved further east, making landfall in central France as a minimal storm.


Storm Gisele

Storm Gisele was named by the Spanish
AEMET The State Meteorological Agency (, AEMET) is a state agency of the Government of Spain responsible for providing weather forecast, warnings of hazardous weather and assisting the administrations in such matters. The AEMET is part of the Secretari ...
agency on 14 March, as the system was undergoing
rapid intensification Rapid intensification (RI) is any process wherein a tropical cyclone strengthens very dramatically in a short period of time. Tropical cyclone forecasting agencies utilize differing thresholds for designating rapid intensification events, th ...
in the central Atlantic. Around the same time, IPMA in
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
issued orange wind warnings for the
Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...
archipelago as Gisele approached. Across the islands, winds of up to were recorded. Gisele subsequently continued northeastwards; orange wind warnings were issued for mainland Portugal and northern Spain, warning of wind impacts and coastal damage. Gisele then made landfall in mainland Portugal, with
mesovortices A mesovortex is a small-scale rotational feature found in a convective storm, such as a quasi-linear convective system (QLCS, i.e. squall line), a supercell, or the eyewall of a tropical cyclone. Mesovortices range in diameter from tens of miles t ...
within an unstable cold front bringing isolated gusts of up to and at least one confirmed
tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...
.


Storm Hugo

Storm Hugo was named by
AEMET The State Meteorological Agency (, AEMET) is a state agency of the Government of Spain responsible for providing weather forecast, warnings of hazardous weather and assisting the administrations in such matters. The AEMET is part of the Secretari ...
on 23 March, as it was undergoing
explosive intensification Rapid intensification (RI) is any process wherein a tropical cyclone strengthens very dramatically in a short period of time. Tropical cyclone forecasting agencies utilize differing thresholds for designating rapid intensification events, th ...
in the mid-Atlantic; as a result, the agency issued a Special Warning regarding the formation of Hugo. Subsequently, AEMET issued red weather warnings for northern Portugal and orange warnings for the remainder of the mainland coast, with yellow warnings of wind and snow being issued further inland. Wind gusts of up to were recorded widely, with gusts of up to recorded in coastal areas in the north of the country.


Storm Irene

Storm Irene was named by the
Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...
Regional Department of Portugal's IPMA meteorological agency on 16 April. Moving swiftly northwards, Irene intensified into an unusually strong low for the region at this time of year, crossing the Azores archipelago with a minimum pressure of and winds of up to . As a result, orange weather warnings were issued for the islands. After crossing the Azores, Irene moved northwestwards into the open Atlantic and weakened, dissipating over the northern Atlantic without again affecting land.


Storm Hector

Hector was the last-named storm of the 2017–2018 season which brought heavy rain and strong winds across the north of the UK and Ireland throughout 13 and 14 June. Met Éireann named the storm as an orange warning for wind was issued on 13 June. The storm arrived after a week-long spell of hot and sunny weather. Strong winds brought disruption to road and rail services, with widespread reports of fallen trees. The Forth and Tay bridges in Scotland were restricted to high sided vehicles as was the Tees flyover in northern England. Ferry services were also affected. Reports of flying debris hospitalised one individual in Edinburgh. Meanwhile, rough seas battered coastal communities. Widespread loss of power was reported in areas of Northern Ireland with up to 26,000 homes and businesses affected. Storm Hector did however bring a boost to the UK's energy supply in the form of wind power.


Other systems

Several notable
extratropical cyclone Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...
s affecting Europe went officially unnamed throughout the season as they did not affect any of the countries involved in issuing names; however, many of these did receive unofficial names from the
Free University of Berlin The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public university, public research university in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in West Berlin in 1948 with American support during the early Cold War period a ...
. Cyclone Thomas rapidly deepened as it crossed
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
on 17–18 September, bringing intense straight-line winds to the country. Eight people were killed, with more than 137 injuries and 7,000 damage claims reported, totalling around US$9.4 million in damage. Cyclone Xavier crossed northern Europe in early October 2017. Germany was the worst affected country, with high winds between 4 and 6 October causing severe damage, including in and around Berlin. Further damage was reported in the Czech Republic, where the highest winds of up to were recorded, and in Poland. In total, Xavier killed nine people—seven in Germany and two in Poland—and caused at least £180 million (€200 million) in damage.
Cyclone Herwart Cyclone Herwart was a European windstorm that affected Southern Denmark, Germany, Poland, Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic on 28–29 October 2017. Named by the Free University of Berlin Meteorology Department, the storm was an extratropic ...
initially formed as a secondary low to a more northerly centre of low pressure (named Grischa) coming southward from the Svalbard Islands region in late October. Herwart then went through the
Fujiwhara effect The Fujiwhara effect, sometimes referred to as the Fujiwara effect, Fujiwara interaction or binary interaction, is a phenomenon that occurs when two nearby cyclonic vortices move around each other and close the distance between the circulations o ...
with this system, rotating counterclockwise around the main low pressure area, passing over Norway, Sweden, Latvia and then losing power while moving over western Russia. In Denmark, which was hit on 28 October, the storm was named Ingolf. In Hungary, the storm was named Nárcisz (Narcissus), a Hungarian female name whose name day is on 29 October. In total, Herwart killed ten people across central Europe and caused £800 million (€950 million) in damage. Cyclone Reinhard (also known locally as ''Storm Ylva'') made landfall in
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
on 23 November, with high winds and heavy rainfall causing millions of euros' worth of damage. There were hundreds of reports of damage across southern Norway, but no reports of injuries or fatalities. A low-pressure area known as ''Storm Cora'' in Norway and ''Ex-Blizzard Aku'' in Finland brought wind gusts of up to to these areas in January 2018.


Season effects


Storms named by European meteorological services

* Aileen (UK/IE), Sebastian (Free University of Berlin), 12–13 September. * Xavier (Free University of Berlin), 4–6 October. * Brian (UK/IE), Elmar (Free University of Berlin), 21 October. * Herwart (FUB), Ingolf (dk) Grzegorz (Polish derivative of the FUB name), 28–29 October. * Ylva (No), Reinhard (FUB), 22–23 November. * Caroline (UK/IE), Walter (FUB), Aina (No), 7–8 December 2017. * Ana (Fr/Es/Pt), Yves (FUB), 10–11 December. * Birk (No-for heavy rainfall), Diethelm (FUB), 23 December 2017. * Bruno (Fr/Es/Pt), Edilbert (FUB), 26–27 December 2017. * Dylan (UK/IE), Horst (FUB), 29–31 December 2017. * Carmen (Fr/Es/Pt), Ingmar (FUB), 1 January 2018. *
Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It was the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages">Provençal dialect ...
(UK/IE), Burglind (FUB), 2–3 January 2018. * Aku (Fin), Cora (No), Unnamed (FUB) -later absorbed by Christine, 7 January 2018. * Fionn (UK/IE), Evi (FUB), 16 January 2018. *
David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...
(Fr/Es/Pt), Friederike (FUB), 18 January 2018. * Georgina (UK/IE), Helene (FUB), 23–24 January 2018. * Emma (Fr/Es/Pt), Ulrike (FUB), 26 February – 5 March 2018 * Felix (Fr/Es/Pt), Yuliya (FUB), 10–11 March 2018 * Gisele (Fr/Es/Pt), Zsuzsa (FUB), 14 March 2018. * Hugo (Fr/Es/Pt) Carola (FUB) 24–25 March 2018. * Irene (Fr/Es/Pt) 30 March–10 April 2018.


See also

*
Cyclone Numa Cyclone Numa, also known as Medicane Numa, was a Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone with the properties of a subtropical cyclone. Numa formed on 11 November 2017 west of the British Isles, out of the extratropical remnants of Tropical Sto ...
, a
medicane Mediterranean tropical-like cyclones, often referred to as Mediterranean cyclones or Mediterranean hurricanes, and shortened as medicanes, are meteorological phenomena occasionally observed over the Mediterranean Sea. On a few rare occasions, so ...
in November 2017 *
2018 Great Britain and Ireland cold wave Anticyclone Hartmut (dubbed the ''Beast from the East'' ()) was a storm that began on 22 February 2018, and brought a cold wave to Great Britain and Ireland. Anticyclone Hartmut also brought widespread unusually low temperatures and heavy snow ...
* 2017–2018 North American winter


Notes

# Lowest pressure for the cyclonic centre of Fionn was achieved on 14 January to the north of Iceland, at the time of Fionn's naming on 16 January the cyclonic centre had substantially filled to about . #The gust occurred in the squeezed isobar region between the centres of Emma and Hartmut, thus it was probably caused by the mixed effects of the two systems due to their collision.


References


External links


UK Storm Centre

Met Éireann

Met Office past weather events: Ophelia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Windstorm season, European, 2017-2018 17-18 2017-18 European windstorm season 2017-18 European windstorm season 2017 meteorology 2017 in the Republic of Ireland 2017 disasters in the United Kingdom 2018 meteorology 2018 in the Republic of Ireland 2018 disasters in the United Kingdom 2017 natural disasters 2018 natural disasters