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![]() Desmond on 5 December 2015 | |
Type | Extratropical cyclone |
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Formed | 3 December 2015 |
Dissipated | 8 December 2015 |
Highest winds |
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Highest gust | 112 mph (180 km/h) (Aonach Mòr, Scottish Highlands)[1] |
Lowest pressure | 939 mb (27.7 inHg) |
Fatalities | 3[7][8] |
Damage | ≥ £870 million (≥ €970 million) (2015)[2] |
Power outages | 46,300[3][4][5][6] |
Areas affected | Ireland, Isle of Man, United Kingdom, Iceland, Norway, Sweden[9] |
Part of the 2015–16 UK and Ireland windstorm season |
Storm Desmond was an extratropical cyclone and fourth named storm of the 2015–16 UK and Ireland windstorm season, notable for directing a plume of moist air, known as an atmospheric river,[1][10] which brought record amounts of orographic rainfall to upland areas of northern Atlantic Europe and subsequent major floods.[11]
In the United Kingdom, the worst affected areas were centred on Cumbria, parts of Lancashire, and the Scottish Borders. In Ireland, the worst affected areas were in the Shannon River Basin, in the west and Irish midlands.[12] Severe rain and some flooding was also reported in Northumberland, north Wales and Yorkshire.[13] Disruption from flooding, high winds, and damage to infrastructure led to the suspension of hundreds of rail services across the country, with the West Coast Main Line closed for several days due to flooding and a landslide. Sports fixtures were also cancelled and more than 43,000 homes across the north of England were left without power, as well as over 2,000 homes in the Republic of Ireland and around 700 in Wales. The extent of damage caused in such a short period across wide areas brought into focus the performance of UK central government flood defence strategies.[14]
The expected heavy rainfall was considered to be an extreme weather event by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, who named it Synne.[15] The Free University of Berlin named the low Ted, as part of its Adopt–a–vortex programme.[16]