Storm Darragh Brings Hurricane-Force Winds to Western Europe

Hazard HQ TeamNotes

Storm Darragh brought hurricane-force winds and infrastructure disruptions to Western Europe. Power outages, travel chaos, and damages were reported across the UK, Ireland, France, and other nations.

Storm Darragh formed in the Atlantic last week and was officially named on Thursday, December 5 by The UK Met Office. It is the fourth named storm of the 2024-2025 season for Western Europe, namely the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and the Netherlands. The storm was also named Storm Xaveria by the Freie Universität Berlin.

The storm formed in the Atlantic mid-last week before traveling eastwards, with the center of the low reaching Ireland early evening on Friday, December 6. This brought an initial swath of strong winds to Ireland and western coastal regions of the UK.

The UK Met Office issued rare red alert wind warnings for coastal communities from Anglesey to the North Devon coast.

During the early hours of Saturday, December 7, Storm Darragh continued traveling eastwards, crossing the Irish Sea and subsequently traversing mainland UK. It reached the North Sea by around 9 a.m. GMT. During this passage, the storm’s central pressure decreased rapidly to its lowest value of 977 hPa, and this is when the second and strongest swath of gusts occurred in Ireland, the UK and Northern France.

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These gusts were caused by the combined effect of the central low and an area of relatively high pressure to the west, resulting in a strong pressure gradient and associated north-westerly winds. By Sunday, December 8, the central low had crossed the North Sea, reaching the Netherlands, and had begun to weaken rapidly.   

Widespread gusts exceeding 60 mph were reported across Ireland, the west coast of mainland UK, and coastal France. While some of the recorded gust wind speeds were significant, it should be noted they were mostly confined to exposed coastal regions and mountainous areas where orographic effects exacerbated the intensity. A gust of just under 87 mph was recorded in Ceann Mhása, Co Galway in Ireland. Gusts of 89mph and just under 92 mph were recorded at Liscombe in Somerset and Aberdaron in Wales, respectively. A gust of just under 99 mph was reported at Carteret in France.

Impacts Across Europe

Ireland

In Ireland, a red alert was issued on Friday evening for coastal communities along the west coast, northwestern coast, and Dublin area. There was also an amber/orange alert for inland areas. Across Ireland, nearly 400,000 homes suffered power outages during the storm. Water was cut for approximately 40,000 homes. Ferry sailings to the main UK route of Holyhead, where 80% of Ireland’s goods arrive to the UK, were cancelled.

France

In France, an orange alert was issued for coastal communities in Brittany and Normandy, as well as the Pyrenees. Tens of thousands of homes were without power across Brittany, with a similar number lacking power across Normandy. The storm affected shipping in the English Channel, with a 120-meter barge running aground at Sotteville-sur-Mer, Normandy. All trains were cancelled in coastal areas.

UK

In the UK, a red alert was issued for coastal communities in the west and southwest of the country. The storm prompted the widest usage of the new UK Government Emergency Alert System, with a red alert warning sent to over 3 million people.

National Grid reported restoring power to over 920,000 homes on Saturday. In Northern Ireland, 95,000 were without power all weekend.

Widespread travel disruption occurred. Flight, ferries, and trains were cancelled. Several high-level bridges on the motorway network were closed and multiple sporting events were cancelled. Over 100 flights were cancelled, and transatlantic flights from the U.S. to London were diverted to Brussels.

The storm damaged Llandudno Pier, a tourist attraction in Wales. Damage to the port structure at Holyhead was also reported, which impacted all transport to Ireland.

Netherlands

A yellow warning was issued across the Netherlands. Schiphol airport cancelled over 100 flights. There was widespread disruption to public transport systems, including ferries, rail transport, and busses.

CoreLogic continues to monitor the impact of this storm and will provide updates when available.

Contact: Please email [email protected] with questions about Storm Darragh or any CoreLogic event response notifications. Visit www.hazardhq.com for updates and information on catastrophes across the globe.

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Written by: Hazard HQ Team

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