Cyclone Jeanett
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 Jeanett over western Europe, 27 October 2002 | |
| Type | European windstorm Extratropical cyclone |
|---|---|
| Formed | 25 October 2002 |
| Dissipated | 31 October 2002 |
| Highest gust | 153 km/h (95 mph; 83 kn).[1] |
| Lowest pressure | 975 mb (28.8 inHg) 973 KNMI[2] |
| Fatalities | 33[3] |
| Areas affected | Western Europe |
Cyclone Jeanett[4] (also written as Jeanette) was a strong extratropical cyclone and European windstorm which affected much of northwest Europe on 27–28 October 2002. The storm brought strong winds and heavy rainfall, with wind speeds reaching up to 180 km/h (110 mph; 97 kn) uprooting trees, smashing cars and damaging buildings. The storm was responsible for a total of 33 deaths across Europe, including Britain, the Netherlands, France, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Poland, Switzerland and Sweden. The majority of the fatalities were caused by falling trees.
In the United Kingdom, wind gusts between 95 and 130 km/h (59 and 81 mph; 51 and 70 kn) were recorded with a gust of 96 mph (84 kn) reported at Mumbles South Wales. In terms of wind speed, it was the biggest storm in the United Kingdom since Cyclone Oratia in October 2000,[5] with the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) describing it as the most severe storm since the Burns' Day storm of 1990.[2]
Jeanett formed in the Atlantic to the south of Newfoundland following behind the path of an earlier low, Irina on 25 October. The low did not explosively deepen, but saw two phases of deepening first on 25 October, with a second deepening phase while crossing the UK 27 October.[6] The low rapidly moved across the North Atlantic, passing over Northern Ireland early in the morning 27 October, before crossing over northern England and the North Sea to lie over the Southern Baltic Sea close to the Swedish island of Gotland 24 hours later. Jeanett developed features of a sting jet as it crossed Britain.[6][7][8] Jeanett was preceded by a period of high winds on 12–14 October.[9]
Impact
Strong winds of over 110 km/h (70 mph; 61 kn) were experienced inland, and in coastal regions winds of over 140 km/h (90 mph; 78 kn) were reported. The strong winds were accompanied by heavy rainfall, with subsequent flooding resulting in several evacuations. Flood warnings were issued for across much of Scotland, and northern and eastern parts of England.[8] The highest gust was reported at the exposed coastal location of The Needles at 165 km/h (102 mph; 89 kn), Return periods of winds experienced were around 10–15 years in the London area for both the highest mean hourly winds and maximum gust speeds.[8] East Anglia also saw return periods of around 10–15 years for highest mean winds and between 5–15 years for maximum gust speeds.[8]
The worst wind related damage was experienced across Wales, the English Midlands and into the Netherlands and onto western Germany.[8] At least 33 people were killed across Europe, with seven fatalities in the United Kingdom.[8] Flights from all the London and Midlands airports were cancelled with many railway services also cancelled as a result of a combination of downed trees and debris on the lines, and damage to overhead power lines.[8] The passenger ferry Pride of Portsmouth collided with HMS St Albans in Portsmouth Harbour as the ship was buffeted while turning across the winds.[8]
In the Netherlands, the storm left four people dead. Amsterdam's Schiphol airport was closed, and damage was caused to Amsterdam Centraal railway station.[10] The strong winds caused damage from Frankfurt to Hamburg in Germany, where there were eleven fatalities as a result of the storm.[10] Rail services across Germany were severely disrupted as well as flights, and fallen trees were widespread.[10] The German state of North Rhine-Westphalia was particularly affected with half the deaths reported here.[10] In the state the World Heritage Site of Cologne Cathedral was damaged by the high winds.[10] The German insurance company Allianz estimated that it would pay out around €80 million (US$78 million).[10] According to reports four fatalities occurred in France and a further two in Belgium in storm related incidents.[10]
