Far-reaching storm likely to bring rain, wind and snow to much of Europe
By
Adam Douty, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Dec 5, 2020 1:27 AM EDT
Shooting stars take over the night skies, South America enjoys an eclipse and two bright planets meet up in what will be a great month for stargazing.
A stormy pattern that began in late November across Europe is expected to continue through early December. On the heels of a storm than drenched south-central Europe, a new storm is predicted to impact a large swath of the continent through the weekend.
The storm first arrived over northwestern Europe on Thursday night with bouts of rain spreading across the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Netherlands to France and northern Spain.
The storm will spin over the British Isles and northern France into this weekend as rain continues at times. Some of this rain could turn heavy, especially across parts of western France.
Although not as heavy, areas of rain are forecast to linger over this portion of western Europe into the beginning of the weekend, and rainfall totals of 13-25 mm (0.50-1.00 inch) will be common. Some localized locations can receive 50 mm (2 inches) of rain, which can lead to flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas.
With colder air arriving with this storm, precipitation can fall as a mix of rain and snow in higher hills and mountains of the U.K. and France. In the highest elevations, snow can settle and create dangerous travel conditions.
This slow-moving storm will also be in the ideal location to usher in strong wind gusts across western Europe. West to northwesterly winds can gain speed over the Atlantic Ocean and into the Celtic Sea, the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay as the storm intensifies.
Wind gusts of 115 km/h (70 mph) were common across Portugal and Spain on Thursday and Thursday night.
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By Friday, winds will begin to relax in some areas as the storm spreads out. However, AccuWeather Meteorologist Tony Zartman added that the west coast of Ireland and Scotland can have strong winds gusts on Friday.
Wind gusts of 80-97 km/h (50-60 mph) can be expected across these areas, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 120 km/h (75 mph). Winds of this magnitude can lead to downed tree branches, some weaker trees and power lines and can cause damage to weaker structures.
A second bout of strong winds is possible along the coast of northern Spain and southwest France on Saturday.
There is the potential for these strong wind gusts to become widespread enough for this system to be considered a windstorm. If given a name by a meteorological service in the U.K., Ireland or the Netherlands, the storm could be called Bella. However, if the name is assigned by either France, Spain, Portugal or Belgium, it could be referred to as Dora.
A strong onshore flow through the end of the week can cause coastal flooding along exposed beaches as well as large swells on the various bodies of water.
While strong winds will be the biggest threat to western countries, a new threat will emerge across south-central Europe as the storm expands into the area late this week and into the weekend.
Once the storm reaches far enough south, it will be able to draw in moisture from the Mediterranean Sea. This will help to fuel areas of heavy rain and thunderstorms across Italy as well as western portions of the Balkan Peninsula. Forecasters warn that some of these storms could produce flash flooding and damaging wind gusts.
Areas of flooding and an increased risk for mudslides will be likely as this same area received rain from a storm that swept across the region earlier in the week. South-central Europe also received rain during the end of November.
Zartman warned that, "Rainfall of 100-200 mm (4-8 inches) can fall over northeast Italy into western Slovenia with the AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 300 mm (12 inches)."
Trentino Alto Adige, Friuli Venezia Giulia and northern Veneto are expected to have the highest threat for flooding.
The storm also has the potential to bring very heavy snow to the Alps that could close some passes and raise the threat for avalanches.
Rounds of rain, high-elevation snow and gusty winds will linger over much of Europe into the weekend as this slow-moving storm system is forecast to linger over the continent.
The stormy pattern is not expected to wane with the passage of this storm. AccuWeather meteorologists are already tracking the potential for another storm in western Europe early next week.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Severe Weather
Far-reaching storm likely to bring rain, wind and snow to much of Europe
By Adam Douty, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Dec 5, 2020 1:27 AM EDT
Shooting stars take over the night skies, South America enjoys an eclipse and two bright planets meet up in what will be a great month for stargazing.
A stormy pattern that began in late November across Europe is expected to continue through early December. On the heels of a storm than drenched south-central Europe, a new storm is predicted to impact a large swath of the continent through the weekend.
The storm first arrived over northwestern Europe on Thursday night with bouts of rain spreading across the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Netherlands to France and northern Spain.
The storm will spin over the British Isles and northern France into this weekend as rain continues at times. Some of this rain could turn heavy, especially across parts of western France.
Although not as heavy, areas of rain are forecast to linger over this portion of western Europe into the beginning of the weekend, and rainfall totals of 13-25 mm (0.50-1.00 inch) will be common. Some localized locations can receive 50 mm (2 inches) of rain, which can lead to flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas.
With colder air arriving with this storm, precipitation can fall as a mix of rain and snow in higher hills and mountains of the U.K. and France. In the highest elevations, snow can settle and create dangerous travel conditions.
This slow-moving storm will also be in the ideal location to usher in strong wind gusts across western Europe. West to northwesterly winds can gain speed over the Atlantic Ocean and into the Celtic Sea, the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay as the storm intensifies.
Wind gusts of 115 km/h (70 mph) were common across Portugal and Spain on Thursday and Thursday night.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
By Friday, winds will begin to relax in some areas as the storm spreads out. However, AccuWeather Meteorologist Tony Zartman added that the west coast of Ireland and Scotland can have strong winds gusts on Friday.
Wind gusts of 80-97 km/h (50-60 mph) can be expected across these areas, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 120 km/h (75 mph). Winds of this magnitude can lead to downed tree branches, some weaker trees and power lines and can cause damage to weaker structures.
Related:
A second bout of strong winds is possible along the coast of northern Spain and southwest France on Saturday.
There is the potential for these strong wind gusts to become widespread enough for this system to be considered a windstorm. If given a name by a meteorological service in the U.K., Ireland or the Netherlands, the storm could be called Bella. However, if the name is assigned by either France, Spain, Portugal or Belgium, it could be referred to as Dora.
A strong onshore flow through the end of the week can cause coastal flooding along exposed beaches as well as large swells on the various bodies of water.
While strong winds will be the biggest threat to western countries, a new threat will emerge across south-central Europe as the storm expands into the area late this week and into the weekend.
Once the storm reaches far enough south, it will be able to draw in moisture from the Mediterranean Sea. This will help to fuel areas of heavy rain and thunderstorms across Italy as well as western portions of the Balkan Peninsula. Forecasters warn that some of these storms could produce flash flooding and damaging wind gusts.
Areas of flooding and an increased risk for mudslides will be likely as this same area received rain from a storm that swept across the region earlier in the week. South-central Europe also received rain during the end of November.
Zartman warned that, "Rainfall of 100-200 mm (4-8 inches) can fall over northeast Italy into western Slovenia with the AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 300 mm (12 inches)."
Trentino Alto Adige, Friuli Venezia Giulia and northern Veneto are expected to have the highest threat for flooding.
The storm also has the potential to bring very heavy snow to the Alps that could close some passes and raise the threat for avalanches.
Rounds of rain, high-elevation snow and gusty winds will linger over much of Europe into the weekend as this slow-moving storm system is forecast to linger over the continent.
The stormy pattern is not expected to wane with the passage of this storm. AccuWeather meteorologists are already tracking the potential for another storm in western Europe early next week.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo