Storm Ciara sows trail of destruction across Europe

Storm Ciara caused travel chaos on Monday, severely disrupting commutes and grounding hundreds of flights as swathes of Europe were left without power by torrential rain and winds of up to 180 kilometres (110 miles) per hour that also caused flash flooding and the cancellation of sporting fixtures.

In one of the most violent storms for years, one man died and another was reported missing in southern Sweden when their boat capsized, while three people were seriously injured in Germany by falling trees and branches.

Parts of northern France were put on orange alert and 130,000 homes had electricity cut off.

The Netherlands closed one of its big storm surge barriers as the tempest approached on Sunday night. Police said it caused Monday morning traffic jams over 600 kilometres of roads.

Around 220 flights were cancelled during the morning at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport — Europe’s third-busiest — most destined for other European cities. Around 240 never took off on Sunday.

Another man was injured by a tree in the Czech Republic, where winds reached up to 180 kph on the country’s highest mountain, Snezka. The storm left 100,000 without power there and even toppled over a truck.

Tiny Luxembourg cancelled school classes and morning rush hour traffic ground to a halt in Brussels due to street closures and flooding.

Britain cleans up

Britain began a clean-up after bearing the brunt of one of the most of violent and destructive storms in years.

“While Storm Ciara is clearing away, that doesn’t mean we’re entering a quieter period of weather,” Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill warned. “Blizzards aren’t out of the question”.

Transport was disrupted across the country with planes and trains cancelled or delayed.

The highest wind speed recorded was 150 kilometres per hour (93 mph) in the northwest Welsh village of Aberdaron.

More than 15 centimetres (six inches) of rain fell over 24 hours at Sleddale Reservoir in northwest England’s Lake District national park.

More than 170 flood warnings remained in place Monday.

The West Yorkshire towns of Hebden Bridge and neighbouring Mytholmroyd were among the worst hit by the storm.

Cars were submerged in the floodwaters and tens of thousands of homes had their electricity cut.