Gonzalo to deliver drenching rain, strong wind to Europe

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Written by Linda Hohnholz

This weekend once-Hurricane Gonzalo impacted Newfoundland, Canada, with damaging wind and heavy rainfall.

This weekend once-Hurricane Gonzalo impacted Newfoundland, Canada, with damaging wind and heavy rainfall. Now the storm is racing across the north Atlantic Ocean and will target the United Kingdom and central Europe early this week.

On Friday and Friday night, Gonzalo passed directly over Bermuda as a Category 2 hurricane bringing wind gusts over 160 kph (100 mph) to the island.

Gonzalo transitioned from a hurricane to a post-tropical cyclone as it crossed the North Atlantic Sunday afternoon. AccuWeather.com meteorologists warn that even though Gonzalo will no longer be classified as a hurricane or tropical storm when it reaches Europe, impacts will be similar.

Conditions will rapidly deteriorate across Ireland and the United Kingdom Monday evening into Monday night as strong gale- to storm-force wind gusts, 80-100 kph (50-60 mph), blast across the region. The best chance for storm-force wind will occur in Northern Ireland and Scotland Monday night.

AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Tyler Roys states, “Wind this strong will likely be enough to bring sporadic power outages along with isolated tree and structural damage.” He goes on to say that similar conditions are expected to move into areas from northern France to northwestern Germany Tuesday as Gonzalo heads into the North Sea.

Severe wind will also whip across the Irish Sea, including the Isle of Man, and into the northwestern coast of England. Across much of Wales and England, including in Liverpool and London, wind gusts will approach 100 kph (60 mph) and cause wind damage and power outages.

While damaging wind gusts will be the primary threat across Ireland and the United Kingdom, a period of heavy rain will sweep across the region as well. A several-hour period of rain will provide 15-40 mm (0.50-1.50 inches) of rain. While this can lead to water pooling in low-lying and poor drainage areas, flooding is not expected to be a widespread concern.

By Tuesday afternoon, as the old circulation from Gonzalo dives to the south into central Europe, wind gusts will increase across France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Damaging wind gusts in excess of 80 kph (50 mph) are expected in these areas threatening Paris, France, Brussels, Belgium and Frankfurt, Germany with power outages.

Moisture from Gonzalo will not only bring rain but will also bring the first significant snowfall of the season to the high elevations in the Alps. Strong wind will likely lead to blizzard conditions above 1,750 meters (5,500 feet) from Switzerland into western Austria.

This will cause travel delays across some of the passes Tuesday night and into Wednesday.

By Wednesday, despite weakening, gusty wind and rain will dive farther south into areas from Slovakia and northern Italy to Serbia and Montenegro. Wind gusts are expected to reach 65 kph (40 mph) in these areas which should not cause significant damage but may result in some localized power outages. However, the gusty wind along with rain and a drop in temperatures will make for an unpleasant day for many.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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