Drive a powerful jet stream into a trough that’s surrounded by high pressure and you get STORM ALEX. A rapid deepener with severe and far reaching impacts across Europe.
Finding itself directly beneath the ‘cloud hook’ and potential sting jet, the exposed island of Belle-Île-en-Mer off Brittany recorded a record wind gust of 116 mph while on the French mainland, gusts of 112 mph were recorded on the Brittany coast.
While wind speeds were impressive, it was by far the rainfall which Alex will be remembered by.
According to the BBC, 500.2mm at Saint-Martin-Vésubie in 24 hours is a record for the resort and for the whole of the Alpes-Maritimes region of France.
Credit: BBC
In Italy’s Piedmont region, it’s said that up to 630mm of rain fell within a 24-hour period. An amount ‘unheard of since 1954’.
In the Swiss village of Camedo, 420mm of rain is said to have fallen within 24 hours, that’s Switzerland’s 2nd heaviest 24-hour rain total on record.
In England, parts of Somerset and Hampshire received upwards of 115mm, a month’s worth of rain within 42 hours.
Recent Comments