Severe snowstorm hits Britain, France and the Netherlands

Storm Darcy came furiously from Siberia and Scandinavia and he leaves in Great Britain, France and the Netherlands under snow, wind and freezing temperatures. Trains canceled, routes impossible to travel and planes canceled. In addition, there are floods and rains in other regions of France.

The great cold landed in the midst of an epidemic of Covid and closed vaccination centers and schools in Britain. Several Covid-19 vaccination centers have been closed, including Clacton Hospital and Colchester United Stadium in Essex, Gainsborough Sports Center in Ipswich and Chevington Close in Bury St Edmunds, also in Suffolk.

A large amount of snow is expected cover the east of England as Storm Darcy continues to hit the country. The east and south-east of the country are severely affected. Police recommend not to travel, due to disruptions in routes, trains and planes before 15 centimeters of snow and ice on the routes.

A kitesurfer in his 50s has died after venturing into the North Sea amid storms. He was seen at Walberswick in Suffolk and died on the beach.

The Met Office has issued severe ‘orange’ snow warnings for London and the south-east of England, where heavy snowfall is likely cause long delays on the roads and affect rail and air transport. Power outages are likely, as are interruptions to mobile phone services.

They should fall between 5 and 10 cm in these areasBut it could reach up to 12 inches in the worst-affected areas. Police forces in parts of Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex have told drivers not to travel as roads were becoming “impassable” due to the snow accumulation.

They compare it to the 2018 Eastern Beast Storm. Residents of Kent have been told to expect slower traffic, with police advising drivers to travel only when necessary. There are countless accidents on the road in the presence of ice and snow.

Rail services have also been hit, with National Rail advising passengers that services across the country may be forced to close some routes.

In the Nederlands

Darcy arrived in the Netherlands in force. Sunday they suffer worst snowfall in 10 years, with disrupted rail traffic, canceled planes, roads under ice.

Weer.nl, the weather website, recalls that “a similar snowfall occurred in January 2010”. The “red alert” governs because the winds will reach 90 kilometers per hour and the cold will be fierce. The snow ranges from 6 to 12 inches across the country.

The Netherlands has also closed all of its vaccination centers in the face of the storm, as the country is expected to experience sub-zero temperatures over the next 10 days. Amsterdam Airport has virtually no traffic due to the storm.

Darcy arrives in the north of France, in particular in Calais and is expected Tuesday in Paris and in the Grand Est. The temperature is already Siberian. There is a risk of an avalanche in the mountains when the French are on school holidays.

The country is facing “a cold continental air mass”, which will reach “various regions of the north, causing in particular snowfall,” said Météo France. The episode should extend mainly from Normandy to the Grand Est, and Hauts-de-France.

Negative temperatures are expected this week in the territory. So, “The thermometer should read -5 ° C Wednesday in Île-de-France, even -10 ° C in Hauts-de-France (with a sensation of -15 ° C), ”specifies France Bleu.

In addition to this cold snap, Météo France forecasts a “significant snowfall” in the country. Tuesday, snowfall should occur in Brittany (10 cm of snow are expected) and Normandy (up to 15 cm locally). Then the snow will reach the Grand Est and Paris on Tuesday at the end of the day and will continue until the evening. This week promises to be very cold from the Belgian borders to Paris and Brittany, ”summarizes the meteorological organization.

Floods

Heavy rains are also expected in the south. Likewise, flooding is expected to continue, as it did last week. Faced with this episode, it is recommended “limit your movements”Tristan Amm, forecaster of Météo France, warned Seven departments remain on the alert orange.

“This cold snap will not subside before the end of the week,” according to Météo France. The sun should come back on the weekend, but the cold will reach the south of the country.

At present, seven departments they are always in “orange watch” ante inundaciones. Se trata of Charente, Charente-Maritime, Maine-et-Loire, Oise, Saône-et-Loire, Seine-et-Marne and Somme.

The Charente river reached a peak of 6.20 m on Monday in Saintes, one of the hardest hit municipalities in Charente-Maritime, where river levels have been at their highest for nearly 30 years. This new “historic” flood exceeds that of 2007 (5.64 m), but without reaching the records of 1982 (6.84 m) and 1994 (6.67 m). The drop in levels “should start” Tuesday, according to Vigicrues.

Météo France informs that seven French departments is flooded this Monday morning: the Somme, Oise, Seine-et-Marne and Saône-et-Loire join Charente, Charente-Maritime and Loire-Atlantique. There is ice on the roads in the northern half of the country, which makes the roads slippery. “You have to be very careful in the morning,” reports Météo France.

It is in Charente-Maritime and more precisely in Saintes that the meteorological episode is most felt. The rise of the Charente should reach its peak on Monday, around 6.20 m, according to forecasts.

Saintes, of 25,000 inhabitants, it is one of the most affected municipalities in Charente-Maritime because of the rising waters. The “plateau” of the flood arrived Monday morning, around 6.20 m, according to Vigicrues. This level confirms a new “historic” flood which exceeds that of 2007 (5.64 m), but without reaching the records of 1982 (6.84 m) and 1994 (6.67 m).

More than 300 firefighters, gendarmes and police, reinforced by neighboring services and volunteers from Civil Protection and the Red Cross are deployed on the ground, to help the 22 municipalities affected by the disaster in the area.

PB