Europe Storm 2014: Britain, France Lashed By High Winds, Waves and Tides

January 3,2014

 

 

 

 

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A couple in a canoe travel across the flood water through the entrance to Teapot Island Leisure Grounds on Jan. 2, 2014, near Yalding, England. (Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

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LONDON -- High winds, waves and tides lashed the western coasts of Britain and France on Friday, flooding seaside towns and low-lying areas.
Wales, southwest England and Northern Ireland were the worst-hit U.K. regions by the latest in a recent series of extreme winter storms. Parts of northwestern France also suffered flooding.
"This is the latest in a series of powerful storm systems that have pounded the UK and Ireland since Christmas Eve," said weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce. "A break is expected on Saturday before yet another storm approaches Sunday with more soaking rainfall and gusty winds."
(MORE: The Latest on Winter Storm Hercules | State-by-State Rundown | Photos)
A combination of heavy rain, winds gusting up to 90 mph and exceptionally high tides sent water flooding Friday into several British seaside towns. Some western rivers also burst their banks.
The U.K. Environment Agency issued eight severe flood warnings - meaning there is a threat to life and property - as well as almost 400 less serious flood warnings and alerts. That was down from 14 severe warnings earlier in the day.
Floods also washed over parts of northwestern France, as heavy rains coupled with unusually high tides left the streets of some coastal towns underwater.
Finistere - a French region jutting out into the Atlantic whose name roughly translates as "Land's End" - was under high alert Friday for flooding. In town of Quimperle, further south along the Brittany coast, shops and homes were evacuated as the Laita River overflowed its banks.
The storm follows severe weather in early December and over Christmas that also hit western Europe.