U.K. Hit by High Winds After Month of Wintry Weather

January 7,2014

 

 

 

 

 

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Flooded houses are seen in the village of Muchelney which has been cut off by flooding on Jan. 6, 2014, near Langport in Somerset, England. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

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LONDON -- What used to be Winter Storm Hercules has moved across the Atlantic and is now hammering the United Kingdom with high winds and winter weather.. Britain's western coast is being lashed by high winds and strong rains following a month of unusually frequent winter storms.
A steady procession of storms has battered the island nation over the past few weeks, making December the windiest since 1969. Monster waves up to 27 feet (8.3 meters) high washed across the British coast on Monday, prompting evacuations and rescues.
"This latest storm actually originated as Winter Storm Hercules in the U.S. just after the New Year's holiday," said weather.com Senior Meteorologist Jon Erdman.
(MORE: Dangerously Cold Temperatures Hit U.S.)
The nearly non-stop storms have crumbled long-standing sea cliffs and damaged waterfronts.
"It's been one after the other with no break," Nicola Maxey, a spokeswoman for Britain's Meteorological Office, said Tuesday.
More than 100 flood warnings remain across England and Wales.
"This latest Atlantic storm will slowly wind down and weaken over the Norwegian Sea off Scandinavia through Tuesday, giving way to a well-deserve reprieve from the stormy barrage the rest of the work week," said Erdman.
Heavy winds and rain have also battered the French coast, driving large waves into southwestern town of Biarritz on Tuesday.
MORE: Photos from Winter Storm Hercules

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A worker clears snow from a stairway at the Astoria Blvd subway station, Friday, Jan. 3, 2014, in the Queens borough of New York. New York City public schools were closed Friday after up to 7 inches of snow fell by morning in the first snowstorm of the winter. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)