Not a good day/night around the North Sea

[Hervé]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/sitelogos/logo_mol.gif (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/)

Friday, Dec 06 2013 12AM 6°C 3AM 8°C 5-Day Forecast (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/weather/index.html)

Sea walls already breached by raging seas more than two hours BEFORE high tide as 140mph Arctic winds batter British coastline



More than 295 Environment Agency flood alerts in place in England and Wales, with most in East Anglia

Gusts of 140mph in parts of Aberdeenshire and Inverness-shire as ALL trains in Scotland are cancelled
Scarborough has been hit by surging seas and what one witness called it 'a scene from Titanic'

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson chaired an emergency Cobra meeting today on storm disruption
Police Scotland advise motorists not to drive in the south, west, central belt and south Perthshire
Storm will create the biggest waves in living memory off north-east over next few days, peaking on Saturday
Public should expect 36 hours of disruption, Norfolk Police warns as Great Yarmouth homes are evacuated
Evacuations planned in Essex and Suffolk as people are seen being rescued in North Wales and Merseyside


By Mark Duell (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Mark+Duell) and Sam Webb (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Sam+Webb)
PUBLISHED: 21:00 GMT, 4 December 2013 | UPDATED: 21:42 GMT, 5 December 2013

Chaotic scenes in the seaside town of Scarborough have given a grim glimpse into the floods set to swamp the east coast of Britain in just a few hours.

Seaside towns across the region are today braced for the worst floods in 60 years as 140mph winds battered the nation in a hurricane-force storm.
More than 15,000 homes in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex are being evacuated, while residents were also rescued in Rhyl, North Wales, and Merseyside.

A lorry driver died in Scotland and a man riding a mobility scooter in King's Park in Retford, Nottinghamshire, was also killed when hit by a falling tree.

More than 120,000 homes were left without power as the most serious tidal surge for 60 years is predicted to hit the east coast tonight. As they were taken away from their homes in dinghies, forecasters feared the worst is yet to come during tonight’s high tide at around 10pm.

Scroll down for videos

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/12/05/article-2518340-19DF92D800000578-456_964x483.jpg
A man stands in water washed onto the promenade of the north bay in Scarborough, which was described as looking like a 'scene from the Titanic'


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/12/05/article-2518340-19DF8EE900000578-527_964x601.jpg
Wall of water: Fishing crews leapt aboard their vessels to stop them being wrecked as pounding waves breached the harbour wall


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/12/05/article-2518340-19E030BB00000578-67_964x570.jpg
The harbour wall disappeared under the rising tide and shopkeepers were trapped in their premises


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/12/05/article-2518340-19E0303000000578-43_964x540.jpg
Scarborough's RNLI lifeboat crew took all weather lifeboats to safety as the boat house flooded


http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/12/05/article-2518340-19E0330100000578-611_964x488.jpg
Emergency workers survey the scene as Scarborough seafront is flooded in the tidal surge

More than 295 flood alerts were in place across England and Wales, with 6,000 homes expected to suffer from flooding in the next 24 hours.

It could be the worst flood since 1953, when the region was the scene of Britain's deadliest natural disaster of the 20th century - the Big Flood - which left 307 dead and 40,000 homeless, although defences have significantly improved since then.

[...]

Full article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2518340/Sea-walls-breached-raging-seas-hours-BEFORE-high-tide-140mph-Arctic-winds-batter-British-coastline.html

[Hervé]

The culprits:

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/12/05/article-2518340-19DE8A5000000578-783_964x633.jpg
Wave and pressure chart: Waves the size of houses will batter the north east coast over the next few days peaking in size at the weekend




http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/12/05/article-2518340-19DC3DA700000578-951_964x718.jpg
Watch out: This WeatherBELL graphic, posted by US meteorologist Ryan Maue, shows a 180-knot jet streak - a localised region of very fast winds embedded within a jet stream - developing over the North Atlantic

[Hervé]

Unlike this guy... be prepared!

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/12/05/article-2518340-19DF2FB400000578-190_945x531.jpg
Rat on board: This plucky rodent was hanging on for dear life as waves battered the timbers of the Black Pearl off the Merseyside coast

[sandy]

Prayers of safety for all concerned and for the storm to be much shorter and less severe than indications predict. :grouphug:

[Hervé]

Tidal Surge: Winter Storm 'Xaver' Batters Northern Europe (http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/tidal-surge-winter-storm-xaver-batters-northern-europe-a-937576.html)


http://cdn4.spiegel.de/images/image-576887-breitwandaufmacher-pcou.jpg (http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/photo-gallery-storm-xaver-tears-through-northern-europe-fotostrecke-104635.html)

A low-pressure system is bringing the worst flooding in decades to parts of Northern Europe, which is being pummeled by snow, rain and hurricane-force winds. At least three deaths have been reported.

A major storm surge threatened parts of northern Europe on Friday as a low-pressure system dubbed "Xaver" began battering the coasts with chilly hurricane-force winds. The United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia were most heavily affected by the severe storm, but cancelled flights and trains caused problems across Europe. By Thursday night, officials had reported at least three storm-related deaths in the UK and Denmark.

http://adserv.quality-channel.de/RealMedia/ads/adstream_nx.ads/www.spiegel.de/international/artikel/1829506091@Bottom,Bottom1,Bottom2,Bottom3,Left,Middle,Middle1,Middle2,Middle3,Middle4,Position1,Posi tion2,Right,Right1,Right2,Right3,Right4,Right5,RightAut,RightEin,RightGes,RightKar,RightKul,RightNet ,RightPan,RightPol,RightRei,RightSpa,RightSpo,RightUni,RightWir,RightWis,Spezial,Sub1,Sub2,Top1,Top2 ,TopRight,VMiddle2,VMiddle,VRight,x01,x02,x03,x04,x05,x06,x07,x08,x09,x10,x11,x12,x20,x21,x22,x23,x7 0%21Middle2 (http://adserv.quality-channel.de/RealMedia/ads/click_nx.ads/www.spiegel.de/international/artikel/1829506091@Bottom,Bottom1,Bottom2,Bottom3,Left,Middle,Middle1,Middle2,Middle3,Middle4,Position1,Posi tion2,Right,Right1,Right2,Right3,Right4,Right5,RightAut,RightEin,RightGes,RightKar,RightKul,RightNet ,RightPan,RightPol,RightRei,RightSpa,RightSpo,RightUni,RightWir,RightWis,Spezial,Sub1,Sub2,Top1,Top2 ,TopRight,VMiddle2,VMiddle,VRight,x01,x02,x03,x04,x05,x06,x07,x08,x09,x10,x11,x12,x20,x21,x22,x23,x7 0%21Middle2)
Thousands of residents living in the UK's eastern coastal areas were forced to spend the night in schools or emergency shelters amid warnings of flooding, which the UK's Environment Agency said could be the highest in some 60 years. Late on Thursday, authorities closed the Thames Barrier to protect London from rising waters. The storm brought rain, hail and snow with the tidal surge, and the German port city of Hamburg has seen its worst flooding in decades, forcing authorities to close off parts of the city center on Thursday night. "We have a tidal surge the likes of which we have rarely seen in the last 10 or 20 years," said a city official on Friday. Water levels were reportedly some 6 meters (20 feet) above sea level early on Friday morning, a level last reached just twice in the early 1990s.

Icy Winds and Snow
Strong gusts of wind of up to 155 kilometers (96 miles) per hour were reported across Germany, damaging roofs, uprooting trees and causing traffic problems. But authorities began issuing storm warnings well before the severe weather (http://www.spiegel.de/international/topic/weather/) arrived, and only a handful of injuries were reported. School was cancelled for children in parts of northern Germany on Friday, as were a number of Christmas markets, despite it being Nikolaustag, a day when Saint Nicholas is honored and children receive gifts.

Elsewhere in Europe, the storm also cut off electricity to more than 100,000 households and uprooted trees across parts of Poland overnight. Media there reported four injuries caused by the storm. In the Netherlands, officials reported that the North Sea had risen by 3.99 meters (13 feet) in the southwestern province of Zeeland, the highest level since a flood in 1953. Some 100 inspectors patrolled dikes across the country overnight to make sure they held.

Though storm danger has so far remained manageable, authorities have not yet given the all-clear. "Xaver is currently over the Baltic and will slowly move east and begin to weaken," the German Weather Service said on its website Friday morning. "But it will still remain quite stormy." Powerful snowstorms driven by cold arctic air are set to follow, it said.

kla -- with wires

[Lifebringer]

From looking at the video and the pictures, I'd say they are headed for a UK hurricane Sandy, the streets are already flooded. Let us focus on our human family enduring this storm that they are safe and their families unharmed by all the waters and possible destruction of properties/homes. Oh please by all that is good in the world and universe of the Creator and God, help your people be sheltered from the storms of high seas, and strong winds. Let their lives have faith that this too shall pass, and have courage to face another day alive and free to start again.

We ask Heavenly Father in your Son Yeshuah's name, please help the UK through the storms.

PS Heavenly Divine Father, there is a serious snow storm coming down on the middle of the country from the Gulf now also, that is causing food prices for those who can't afford food to go up, and the people are swallowed in snows with more to come. May you comfort them also and their families through the cold and auto accidents minor injury if they occur. Cushion those who would wreck and protect them on the roads to and from home and grocery stores. Guard their electric grid, that in this winter weather, they may not freeze from the cold.

We ask thee to come and comfort those in times of woes and destructive weather forces.

In Yeshuah's the teacher and comforter's name we pray.

[sian]

Unlike this guy... be prepared!

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/12/05/article-2518340-19DF2FB400000578-190_945x531.jpg
Rat on board: This plucky rodent was hanging on for dear life as waves battered the timbers of the Black Pearl off the Merseyside coast

don't worry Amazon Zo, we're made of strong stuff over here.

never seen a worst storm and been here for over 30 years.

millions of £'s spent on sea defense to no avail, could'nt deter the spirit of the locals though. http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/merseyside-battered-high-winds-floods-6378333

calm here now and concentrating on clearing the storm in the rest of the country and north.

[Hervé]

9 dead, thousands affected as storm Xaver sweeps east across Europe (PHOTOS) (http://rt.com/news/xavier-storm-nine-dead-848/)

Published time: December 06, 2013 15:34
Edited time: December 06, 2013 17:49
Get short URL (http://rt.com/news/xavier-storm-nine-dead-848/)

http://rt.com/files/news/21/69/00/00/xaver-1.si.jpg
The sea hits the flooded Harbour Road in Helsingborg, southern Sweden, on December 6, 2013 as storm Xaver hit southern Sweden on Thursday night (AFP Photo / TT News Agency / Johan Nilsson / Sweden out)

Hundreds of thousands have been left without power or stranded by transportation chaos as the storm Xaver is sweeping across northern Europe. At least nine people have died in the disaster.

Emergency services across the region battled overnight to sandbag sodden dykes, evacuate flooded harbor areas and repair damage from toppled trees that crashed onto houses, roads and power lines.

Atlantic storm Xaver swept into northern Europe late Thursday after disrupting transport and power in northern Britain where two people have died.

The winds of up to 158 kilometers per hour barreled across Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and southern parts of Scandinavia.

Blackouts hit 400,000 homes in Poland and affected 50,000 people in Sweden, while thousands of air passengers were stranded as flights were canceled at Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg, Gdansk and other airports, AFP reports.


TOfZFxZZqHM

In the Polish town of Poraj, the branch of a huge tree was thrown into a car by a strong wind Friday. Three people were killed and one injured in the accident, Reuters reports.

The disaster, considered the worst storm to hit the continent in decades, also killed two people and injured dozens in the UK as winds reached maximum speeds of 225 kilometers per hour. A truck driver died when his vehicle overturned, with another man being killed by a falling tree.

Around 10,000 Britons were evacuated from their homes in low-lying east coast areas on Thursday, with the authorities warning that the danger hasn’t passed yet.

The UK is facing the most serious tidal surge for more than 60 years as sea levels in some areas exceed those during the devastating floods of 1953, which saw over 300 killed.

http://rt.com/files/news/21/69/00/00/xaver-2.jpg
Emergency services personnel stand on the beach near a chalet home that was drawn into th sea during a tidal surge at Hemsby, in the east of England, on December 6, 2013. (AFP Photo / Justin Tallis)


Several beachside houses, a lifeboat hut and a cafe fell into the sea following the storm in Norfolk, the Daily Mail reports.

“It just happened so fast yesterday. One minute it was safe and the next minute it was gone,” Steven Connelly, a beachside house owner affected by the storm, told the paper.

The flood defenses erected in Britain after the 1953 events had protected more than 800,000 homes, Owen Paterson, the UK’s Environment Secretary, said after an emergency government meeting Friday.

In Denmark, a 72-year-old female passenger of a truck died when the vehicle overturned in howling winds.

Sweden’s coast guards are searching the sea for two sailors who were washed off the deck of a Dutch cargo ship 22 kilometers, The Local website reports.

http://rt.com/files/news/21/69/00/00/xaver-4.jpg
Waves hit the sea front on December 6, 2013 in Raageleje, north of Copenhagen, as storm Haver hits Denmark. (AFP Photo / Scanpix Denmark / Keld Navntoft / Denmark out)


Several ferry crossings to and from Sweden were canceled, with a decision made to halt trains in the south of the country.

“We did not want to run the risk of crashing into a tree flying at 160 kilometers an hour,” Linus Eriksson from Swedish rail service SJ told the TT news agency. At least one person has already died in the south of the country after a tree fell in the fierce gusts of wind.

About 4,000 people remain without power in northern Germany, with schools closed and about 70 flights at Hamburg airport canceled. The country’s rail operator, Deutsche Bahn, said that the debris blocked a high-speed line between the country’s largest cities, Hamburg and Berlin.

Floodwaters in the port of Hamburg rose to 6 meters above normal levels early Friday, the highest in decades, the officials said.

Meanwhile, Xaver continues moving eastward, with storm alert declared in Kaliningrad, the western Russian enclave on the coast of the Baltic Sea.

http://rt.com/files/news/21/69/00/00/xaver-5.jpg
A boat lying on the side, on December 6, 2013 in Thorsminde Harbour, on the west coast iin Jutland as storm Haver hits Denmark. (AFP Photo / Scanpix Denmark / Keld Navntoft / Denmark out)


http://rt.com/files/news/21/69/00/00/xaver-3.jpg
Cars stand in a traffic jam during heavy snow falls in Olpe, Germany, on December 6, 2013. (AFP Photo / DPA / Marius Becker / Germany out)

[MorningSong]

My thoughts go out to all affected by this storm.

It's not too cold here in north-central Italy right now, but a crazy gusty wind has been blowing since this morning from the North at an average of 57 km/h.... really difficult to drive in as it could easily push a car off the road if you don't watch out.

There has been flooding, landslides and snow in central Italy.

http://ham.shineline.it/meteo/meteo.jpg

http://www.meteo60.fr/satellites/animation-satellite-ir-france.gif

[avid]

If you want to see some mad piccies in Cumbria - check this link: https://www.facebook.com/CumbriaCrack/photos_stream

[Hervé]

A final note, now that the storm has died out:

In The Models Only! Leading German Experts Find “No Statistical Increase In Storm Frequency Or Intensity” (http://notrickszone.com/2013/12/06/in-the-models-only-leading-german-experts-find-no-statistical-increase-in-storm-frequency-or-intensity/)
By P Gosselin (http://notrickszone.com/author/admin/) on 6. Dezember 2013

Now that North Sea storm “Xaver” is on its way out and the media hype begins to die down, the question of whether the storm was due to climate change is making the rounds. When Yolanda struck the Philippines early last month, the IPCC momentarily forgot its own science and hysterically blamed man-made CO2 for the catastrophe.


http://notrickszone.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Xaver.gif (http://notrickszone.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Xaver.gif)


Xaver was just a normal storm, German warmist experts concede. (Photo by Beeston, licensed under the Creative Commons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Creative_Commons) Attribution 3.0 Unported (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en)). See here (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stormsurge_Sheringham_5_December_2013.JPG).

Yesterday as Xaver raged, Germany’s DWD Weather Service DPA news agency reported on findings (http://www.ksta.de/panorama/-hintergrund-der-orkan-und-der-klimawandel,15189504,25531352.html) specifically regarding the relationship between climate change and storm frequency and intensity. The DPA writes:
Even with the two storms ‘Christian’ and ‘Xaver’ over Germany this fall, experts see no sign of climate change from them. ‘What we are experiencing are single events’, emphasizes Gerhard Lux, meteorologist at the German Weather Service in Offenbach on Thursday. ‘Over the last 100 years there have always been small waves of more or fewer storms in Germany.’ Also around 1990 and 1999 there were phases with relatively more frequent storms.”
Few major media outlets have bothered to deliver these non-trivial, non-alarmist findings to the public. Why aren’t we surprised?


Higher frequency and intensity found only in model projections
The DPA then explains in its piece that North Atlantic storms are brewed especially when cold polar air masses clash against warm ones from the south. The DPA adds, quoting Lux:
‘For Germany we cannot detect any statistical increased in storm frequency.’ The same applies for storm intensity.”
The über-alarmist Potsdam Institute for climate Impact Research (PIK) models beg to differ, but the DWD statistics and observations are clear on that: Higher frequency and intensity exist only in the model projections, and not in reality.

IPCC scientist affirms one or two storms “not a trend”
Unexpectedly, German IPCC climate scientist Mojib Latif, ever so eager to grab the media spotlight, displayed an unusual level sobriety in response to yesterday’s storm. At Die Welt here (http://www.welt.de/newsticker/dpa_nt/regioline_nt/hamburgschleswigholstein_nt/article122608933/Xaver-ist-ein-normaler-Herbststurm.html) he called storm Xaver “a normal autumn storm“:
Indeed we have had two violent storms in a short time, but we cannot discern any trend from that.”
That’s a flabbergasting admission from a leading proponent of the man-made global warming hypothesis. Perhaps Latif has come to realize the foolishness of his earlier claims and that the media attention isn’t worth it.