LONDON – Strong winds from Storm Pia on Thursday disrupted flights in parts of the UK, suspended train services and halted Scottish ferries in a preview of holiday travel disruption that could hit northern Europe as the storm moves east.
Meanwhile, in an unrelated development related to the weather, a surprise strike by French workers added to travel chaos by shutting down Eurostar trains between London and Paris, leaving thousands of travelers stranded.
Strong gusts knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes in northern England, toppled a lorry on a motorway in Manchester, tore off part of the roof of an apartment building in Sheffield and — in a bit of good news — helped generate a record amount of electricity.
Gusts of 115 mph were recorded at Cairngorm Summit in the Scottish Highlands as the national meteorological service warned of winds of up to 80 mph in northern Scotland and 55 mph in northern England and Northern Ireland. There is also an ice and snow warning for the Shetland Islands, where schools are closed.
A plane lands at Leeds Bradford Airport in England on Thursday. AP
The storm hit as travelers took to the roads, runways and skies ahead of holiday traffic expected to peak on Friday.
When the wind warning ended on Thursday evening, the storm hit Europe and was expected to bring similar problems there.
Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport warned that “a large number of flights” would be delayed or canceled due to strong winds.
Workers remove a fallen tree in the village of Stanley in Derbyshire. ZUMAPRESS.com
Dutch authorities closed several storm barriers on major rivers as a precaution due to high water levels.
The storm is expected to arrive in southern Sweden on Thursday evening with thunderstorms, heavy snow and poor visibility across the region, the Swedish Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology said.
In Germany, national rail operator Deutsche Bahn said there were train delays and cancellations in Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony, the two largest states on the North Sea coast. Affected lines include from Hannover to Berlin and Frankfurt, and from Hamburg to and from western Germany and Denmark.
The Federal Office for Shipping and Hydrography warned of possible storm surges on Thursday evening on the North Sea coast, which could bring water levels up to 2.5 meters (8.20 feet) higher than the mean high tide. Several ferries to or from North Sea islands were canceled on Thursday or Friday.
The storm is expected to arrive in southern Sweden on Thursday afternoon with thunderstorms Keith Fairbrother / SplashNews.com
In the UK, storms knocked down trees blocking roads and downed power lines, leaving 40,000 households in northeast England without power, energy company Northern Powergrid said.
A driver was taken to hospital after a tree crashed into his car in Clifton, Derbyshire.
Wind generated a record 21.8 gigawatts of electricity, supplying 56% of all power used from the grid in Great Britain between 8 and 8:30 a.m., the National Grid Electricity System Operator said. It surpassed the previous record of 21.6 gigawatts.
British Airways grounded two dozen flights, British broadcaster Sky News reported. A spokesman for the airline did not provide further details but issued a statement saying it apologized to customers for having to “make some adjustments” to its schedule.
A surprise strike by French workers sparks chaos on Eurostar trains. AFP via Getty Images
National Rail said speed restrictions for trains were in place across Scotland, and parts of England and Wales. ScotRail said it was suspending services on some of its routes, and TransPennine Express asked train passengers to delay their journeys in and out of Edinburgh throughout the day.
Ferry operator CalMac is canceling its services to 22 islands off the west coast of Scotland.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
