Wind speeds were measured at 196 km/h on the Isle of Wight, and the surface of the O2 yard in London was almost devastated. There were also reports of injuries and deaths in Ireland.
A wind storm of unprecedented strength hit southern Britain on Friday. The British Meteorological Institute, which has been warning the public for days of the impending storm on Friday, covers large areas of London, southeast and eastern England, Devon, Cornwall and Somerset in southwest England, and the coast of South Wales has ordered the highest level of an extremely rare red alert that can be entered in case “The weather that threatens human life.”
Coming from the Atlantic Ocean, a stormy region called Eunice stretches from the southwest to the northeast. A tornado of 196 km/h was measured on the Isle of Wight off southern England on Friday afternoon. According to the British Met Office, although the data has not yet been verified, it is the highest wind speed ever measured in England. In the afternoon, winds from 120 to 140 kilometers also blew in London, causing severe damage to several parts of the city.
The cyclone tore down the roof structure of the O2 Arena in southeast London over a large area. The roof of the gymnasium and events hall with a light, dome-like structure, which can accommodate 20,000 people in several places, was destroyed by a gust of wind. The plaza, constructed in 2000, formerly known as the Millennium Dome, has been evacuated and closed. Several concerts could have been held in the hall on Fridays and weekends, but these were canceled. In Ireland, a man died when a tree fell on him. In the small town of Henley-on-Thames, on the western border of London, a woman suffered serious head injuries from debris picked up by a windstorm.
Rail traffic at major railway stations in the British capital has virtually come to a standstill after trees fell on the rails in a number of places. Many flights at London’s five international airports – Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and City – have been canceled or diverted. Traffic at the city’s downtown airport has come to a complete halt. The port of Dover in southeast England, the world’s busiest sea ferry port, has also halted after several ferry companies halted crossings between England and the mainland.
In Wales, where for some time there was no electricity to 40,000 residential properties, all schools were closed and rail traffic was completely closed. The regional service provider, Western Power, said in the afternoon that more than 30,000 homes had had electricity back on. Insurance companies have sent text messages to millions of car owners telling them not to park their cars near trees.
The Meteorological Institute estimates that a Atlantic storm of this magnitude has not reached Britain for at least three decades. In its call on Friday, provincial police asked that those who can’t leave their homes should not and that people travel longer in areas affected by the red alert in the most urgent cases. Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a Coordinated British Government Meeting (COBRA) on Friday during special developments.
