Or the strongest storm in Britain in nearly 30 years, "Eunice" recently hit many places in England and Wales.
The Met Office said that on the Isle of Wight, near the south coast of England, the gust speed once exceeded 196 kilometers per hour, setting a new regional record in England. Generally speaking, when the wind speed of super typhoon (category III hurricane) reaches 184 ~ 201 kilometers per hour, it is divided into category 16 typhoon. For the devastating "Eunice", the agency has twice issued a red storm warning to remind people to avoid going out.
"We believe that the red warning will be issued only when a certain weather will pose a threat to life safety." Said Frank Sanders, chief meteorologist at the Met Office.
Eunice has also spread to Ireland, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and other European countries. The Irish meteorological service said gusts had exceeded 172 kilometers per hour near the country's south coast. The German meteorological agency said that the North Sea coast of the country was greatly affected, and the waves caused by the storm were up to 2 meters high.
According to U.S. media reports, as of the 20th, "Eunice" had killed at least 9 people in many European countries, canceled hundreds of flights and cut power to hundreds of thousands of families.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said: "I want to pray for the unfortunate dead, pay tribute to the emergency service personnel who have worked tirelessly to ensure our safety, and hope that all Londoners will be cautious and avoid risks when the storm passes."
economic losses may exceed £ 300 million
The British Association of insurance companies estimates that the economic losses caused by the storm that recently ravaged Western Europe may reach 149 million pounds. In an interview with the BBC, Mohammad Khan, PwC's head of insurance in the UK, estimated that the cost of insurance claims could reach 200 million to 350 million pounds (about 1.72 billion yuan to 3 billion yuan).
On the one hand, the negative impact of "Eunice" on the economy is reflected in the field of transportation. Flight tracking website flightaware com. Data show that only on the 18th, a total of 436 flights in the UK were cancelled due to "Eunice", and about 390 flights were cancelled at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, the Netherlands on the same day.
Also affected are trains and ferries. On the 18th, seven train operators in Wales suspended all lines. On the same day, Deutsche Bahn, Germany's largest railway operator, said that more than 1000 kilometers of the country's railway network had been damaged and all train trips in the northern part of the country had been cancelled. Ter trains in northern France, the Strait of Calais and Somme have stopped running.
The Danish ferry operator United Shipping Company announced that the ferry between Dover, England and Calais, France in the English Channel will be suspended.
On the other hand, the negative impact of "Younis" on the economy is reflected in the field of construction and energy. The storm raged, causing damage to buildings and power transmission networks in many places.
The fabric on the top of London O2 stadium, which was once the main venue of the 2012 London Olympic Games, was torn by strong winds, exposing part of the internal structure of the building. A gas-fired power station in Kent, England, was forced to shut down due to the storm. According to Bloomberg and other media reports, in the UK, some roadside trees have been uprooted and many citizens' windows have been broken by strong winds.
According to foreign media reports, "Eunice" caused more than 370000 families in the UK to lose power. Esbn networks, a utility company, said more than 80000 homes and businesses in Ireland had lost power. In northern France and Normandy, the number of households without electricity has reached 37000.
wind energy output increased significantly
However, "Younis" also has a positive impact on many European countries: due to the strong wind speed of "Younis" and the storm "Dudley" just sent away before, the power generation of wind farms in many European countries has increased significantly, which has alleviated the problem of energy shortage in the region to a certain extent.
The areas where the Met Office issued the red storm warning include Yorkshire and other places, which are full of offshore wind farms. At present, the installed capacity of offshore wind power in the UK ranks first in the world.
At the same time, Germany's North Sea area affected by "Eunice" is also an important wind power producer in the country. The wind turbines in the North Sea account for 17.2% of Germany's total wind power generation.
Germany, France and the UK generated 907, 238 and 220 GWH of wind power in a single day on the 19th, according to windeurope, a market research firm. As of 8:30 a.m. on the 19th, wind power provided nearly 42% of the UK's power load, while fossil fuels and nuclear energy accounted for only 22% and 15% of the power generation. Such data changed the previous unsatisfactory situation of wind power generation in the UK. According to national grid data, wind power accounted for nearly 27.5% of Britain's total electricity output in January. According to historical data, renewable energy power generation, including Cecep Solar Energy Co.Ltd(000591) , wind energy and hydropower, accounts for only 19.3% of the country's power generation.
Affected by this, the wholesale price of electricity in the UK and many parts of Europe fell sharply. According to the European energy exchange (Eex), the wholesale price of electricity in the UK has fallen by 11% to around £ 140 / MWh. Wholesale electricity prices in Germany, the European benchmark for electricity prices, fell by two-thirds to their lowest level this year.
Will the "Eunice" phenomenon be more frequent?
At present, many countries in Europe have carried out clean-up work caused by the storm. Greg hands, the UK business and energy secretary, said the country had now restored power to more than 1m people. Areas where power supply has not been restored "can call the hotline". The French electricity agency also said it was sending 1000 skilled workers to try to restore the country's power equipment.
In the field of transportation, the German railway company said that at present, it has 2000 staff to help restore the railway network. It is expected that many railways in Germany will return to normal on the 21st. The ferry between Dover and Calais in France is gradually restored.
However, the Met Office warned that the current UK is still wet and windy, which will hinder the development of the above work. The French meteorological agency warned that the storm could still affect from Brittany to northern France.
Matt Priestley, an expert on storm tracks and extratropical cyclones at the University of Exeter, said that with the attack of "Eunice", some storms will produce an extremely strong wind area. These strong winds are called "sting jet", which can cause considerable damage. This phenomenon appeared in 1987.
"The 'spurt' is usually 10-20 kilometers wide and is caused by specific instability in the storm's flight path and will lead to very high wind speeds that can uproot millions of trees." Priestley said.
A typical example of "stinging spray" occurred during the "1987 storm". According to public information, in mid October 1987, Britain, France, Spain, Belgium and Norway were hit by this strong storm, with a maximum speed of 216 kilometers per hour. At that time, 18 people died in Britain alone and 15 million trees were uprooted.
Liz Bentley, head of the Royal Meteorological Society, explained: "the sting spray is similar to a scorpion in the sky because it moves with a storm like a thorn on a scorpion's tail."
However, according to Richard Allan, a professor of climate science in the UK, although a once-in-30-year storm such as Eunice is sure to hit the British Isles in the future, there is no convincing evidence that it will become stronger in terms of wind speed.
Will "Eunice" become one of the climate phenomena that the world needs to prevent in the future? Allen said that storms like "Eunice" may not become more serious or more frequent due to climate change, but global warming does mean that the atmosphere can hold more water, and sea levels are rising, which will increase the risk of floods when such extreme weather strikes.
The spokesman said that with the increasing wind direction of the UK Meteorological Bureau, it may have an impact on the global warming in the second half of this century.
