Tropical Storm Xynthia reached Cat 1 Hurricane strength winds over France.
Flooding along western coast of France (AP Photo/Frank Perry, Pool)
February 28, 2010 France
Risk of further flooding in UK as Xynthia approaches (click here)
Monday, 1 March 2010
Flood warnings were issued across much of Britain last night as the tail end of the Atlantic storm that caused so many fatalities on mainland Europe threatened to batter the UK. The storm, nicknamed Xynthia, is expected to brush Britain en route to Scandinavia.
The Environment Agency issued an alert of serious flooding which could put lives and property at risk in Cambridgeshire. Suffolk, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Bedfordshire were also put on alert. North Yorkshire was also warned of a risk of flooding, in particular the coastal village of Sandsend. Roker, Sunderland, was placed on standby. The Thames Barrier was raised to reduce the risk of flooding to the west of the capital...
Atlantic storm kills 55 as it rages across Europe (click here)
Monday, 1 March 2010
At least 55 people were killed when the fiercest storm in a decade swept across France, and western Europe, with wave surges flooding coastal regions and hurricane-force winds leaving a trail of devastation in their wake.
Most of the victims were in France, where the storm, called Xynthia, crashed against the western coast in the early hours of yesterday morning, but there were also deaths in Spain, Portugal, Germany and Belgium.
Wind speeds hit 108 mph at the tip of the Eiffel Tower, centuries-old trees were uprooted in the grounds of Versailles and on the coast, waves of more than eight metres swept inland, forcing residents to head for the safety of their roof-tops...
