Powerful Northern European Storm Expected Later This Week

By Erik Pindrock, Meteorologist

December 1,2013; 9:14PM,EST

 

 

After a relatively benign start to the week across the U.K. and most of the rest of northern Europe, the weather pattern is expected to take a very stormy turn by the middle and end of the week.
A powerful storm system will begin to organize near southern Greenland on Tuesday and then race eastward threatening Scotland, Scandinavia and northern mainland Europe with storm-force winds, rain and snow from later Wednesday through Friday.
The upcoming storm will take a more northern track than the severe wind storm which struck the southern U.K. and northern Europe in late October of this year; however, some of the same areas over northern Europe that saw damaging winds from the October storm could be in line for winds that exceed gale-force during the latter part of the week.
The above graphic, prepared by an AccuWeather.com meteorologist using Google Maps, shows the expected track of the low pressure from Wednesday night through Thursday night of this week. The strongest winds are likely to occur near and to the south of the low track.
Winds in excess of 100 kph are likely in some communities near and south of the track of the storm beginning late Wednesday and continuing through Thursday across Scotland.
As the low pressure shifts eastward through the North Sea, winds over of 100 kph are expected across portions of the Netherlands, northern Germany, Denmark and Scandinavia beginning on Thursday and continuing in some areas through Friday.
If the storm achieves its full potential, scattered power outages as well as some wind damage are likely in the regions that experience the strongest winds.
Photo, courtesy of The Associated Press, shows a temporary marquee over turned by heavy wind in Aabenraa, southern Jutland Denmark on Monday, Oct. 28, 2013. A major storm swept Denmark with winds peaking at up to 200 kph (approximately 125 mph).
The October wind storm produced an estimated minimum central pressure of 965 mb across the North Sea. Some indications suggest that the storm expected later this week could approach that minimum pressure.
In addition to the high wind potential, rain as well as much colder air and snow will accompany the storm through the U.K. and northern Europe. Even portions of central and eastern Europe could feel the effects of a much chillier air mass in the wake of the storm by Friday and into next weekend.