European(Washington Insider Magazine)-Last week in Europe, a Derecho event occurred. This massive storm tore through nearly 1000 miles of France, Venice, Austria, and Slovakia. Winds reached speeds up to 140 miles per hour, causing many areas to lose power. Early reports count at least a dozen dead.
Experts classified the storm complex as a Derecho event, which is a storm that is very widespread and long-lived while occurring during a region’s off-season. This storm began near the Mallorca island chain before landing in the Mediterranean, moving through European coastal countryside.
In Europe, Derecho events tend to only occur once a year, if at all. The wind storms that normally occur throughout the season are smaller and far less intense. The storm landed on the city of Ajaccio at 8:15 am, and just an hour later, it was traveling at around 70 miles per hour.
Winds roughly on par with a Category 4 hurricane tore through the city later that day, damaging several properties and a locally-flying A319 Airbus.
Initial reports say that gusts in Corsica ranged from 100 mph to 140 mph, topping winds seen in ranges around 116 mph in Bocognano, 122 mph in Calvi, 128 mph in L’Ile Rousse, 140 mph in Marignana, 110 mph in Cap Corse, 108 mph in Cap Sagro, and 106 in Cagnano. The variable winds are a hallmark of a Derecho storm system but cause lasting damage.
During this time, several people were injured, and at least five were killed. In the cities in northern Italy, such as Venice, the wind was reported to pick up and throw regularly-standing furniture outside, such as tables and chairs.
Historic sites in the city were damaged by the wind ripping bricks out of the walls and towers, with rock elements crumbling due to stone-sized hail. Several residential windows broke, and already-suffering farmlands sustained further damage from the storm conditions.
In Italy, reports show that at least 2 people died, which raises the confirmed death total to 7. After it ravaged the Italian regions, the storm continued moving toward Slovenia and Austria, where it ripped the roofs off of apartment complexes and even houses.
We’ll continue to monitor this storm system and advise of any later developments.
