PARIS, Nov 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Shortly after storm Ciaran lashed Western Europe, the region now braces for yet another storm, Domingos.
Storm Ciarán proved to be the worst since 1987 for parts of western Europe, with its 120 mph gusts, tennis ball-sized hail, towering waves and heavy rains. The storm killed at least 12 people and caused widespread damage, knocking out power to 1.2 million residents in France and disrupting hundreds of flights.
Now, a new storm — named Domingos by Spain’s meteorological agency — is on the way, and could exacerbate ongoing efforts to clean up from its predecessor.
The worst of Domingos is expected to hit northern Spain and western France along the Bay of Biscay, where gusts in excess of 60 mph are possible in addition to heavy rain.
To the north, yellow warnings for rain have been drawn across southern England by the U.K. Met Office.
The fresh drenching atop already saturated soils will make it easier for trees weakened by Ciarán to fall, especially in the blustery winds expected with Domingos.
After a furious 24 hours that reached a climax Wednesday night into Thursday morning, Ciarán pulled away Thursday afternoon and evening. The Met Office announced that Ciarán established a record for the lowest pressure in England and Wales during November; typically, the lower the pressure, the stronger the storm.
As it continues meandering north, Domingos will sweep in from the west over the southern U.K. Eventually, Ciarán will pinwheel back northwestward and ultimately westward. The two systems will orbit a common center for a time, as if dancing a tango around one another. Meteorologists call this elegant waltz the “Fujiwhara effect.” It is most commonly observed with tropical weather systems.
It has been a very stormy fall in western Europe. Domingos and Ciarán follow Storm Babet, which was blamed for five deaths in Britain and Germany from Oct. 18 to 21. Babet brought “exceptional” amounts of rain and severe flooding in eastern Scotland, the Met Office wrote in a summary of the storm. Before Babet, Storm Agnes lashed Ireland and the U.K. in late September. — NNN-AGENCIES
