Cyclone Gudrun
 Cyclone Gudrun in theNorth Sea | |
| Type | European windstorm Extratropical cyclone |
|---|---|
| Formed | 7 January 2005[1] |
| Dissipated | 12 January 2005[2] |
| Lowest pressure | 960 mb (28 inHg) |
| Fatalities | 12 (7 inSweden,4 inDenmark,1 inEstonia). |
| Damage | £1.1 billion (2005 GBP) |
| Areas affected | United Kingdom,Ireland,Norway,Denmark,Sweden,Latvia,Estonia |
Gudrunwas a powerful storm which hitDenmarkandSwedenon 8 January 2005, andLatviaandEstoniaon 9 January 2005. The nameErwinwas chosen by theFree University of Berlin,while the storm was namedGudrunby theNorwegian Meteorological Instituteand was the name used inSweden.Sustained wind speeds of 126 km/h (78 mph) with wind gusts of 165 km/h (103 mph) were measured inHanstholm,Denmark– the same strength as aCategory 1 hurricane.
The storm caused significant financial damage in Sweden, where the forest industry suffered greatly from damaged trees, as more than 75 million cubic metres (2.6×109cu ft) of trees were blown down in southern Sweden. This resulted in Sweden at the time having the world's largest surplus of lumber.
About 415,000 homes lost power in Sweden and several thousand of these were without power for many days and even weeks in some cases, as about 10,000 homes were still without power after three weeks.[3]The death toll in Sweden was 7[4]victims, making it one of the biggest environmental disasters in Swedish history, while four were killed in Denmark and one in Estonia.
Meteorological history[edit]
On 6 January 2005, a low pressure system developed at a frontal zone south ofNewfoundland.[5]It moved into the centralNorth Atlanticand was named 'Erwin' by theFree University of Berlin.[5]Erwin strengthened rapidly and its pressure at the time of naming was 970 mb (29 inHg).[5]Erwin moved quickly, and was already moving overScotlandandNorthern Irelandon the 8th.[5]In the UK, temperatures were noticeably higher after the passing of Erwin.[5]On the 9th, Erwin had already moved into theBaltic Seawith a minimum central pressure of 960 mb (28 inHg).[5]Over much of Central and Western Europe, temperatures were very mild.[5]The next day, weakening Erwin was over Western Russia with a pressure of 975 mb (28.8 inHg).[5]Erwin began slowing down as it moved into Central Russia. On 13 January, Erwin dissipated over Russia.[5]
Impact[edit]
Carlisle and Cumbria flooding[edit]
In the UK, the main impacts of the storm were flooding in Cumbria and Carlisle, where 1,800 homes were flooded in the city.[6]
Sweden blackout and damage to forests[edit]
Gudrun is one of the strongest storms to impact Sweden in the last 100 years. It caused much damage to forests inHallandthe southwestern part of theSouth Swedish highlands(Småland).[7][8]Spruceswere particularly hit by Gudrun, while other trees with a more steady root system fared better.[8]Damage was also exacerbated by the practice ofclearcutting,leaving many trees exposed.[8]Gudrun also causedblackoutsand disabled telecommunications infrastructure.[7][8]
Aftermath[edit]
Byholma Wood Stockpile[edit]
The cyclone created the world's largest wood stockpile, which Gizmodo lists as containing 1 million cubic metres (35,000,000 cu ft) of wood as of May 2012. In Sweden, the total volume of wood from the trees struck down by the storm was about 75 million cubic metres (2.6×109cu ft).[9]
Political impact in Sweden[edit]
In her dissertation, "Natural Disasters and National Election", Lina M. Eriksson, PhD, found that the storm played a crucial role in the historic regime shift in the2006 Swedish general election.The incumbentSocial Democratic Party's poor crisis response to Gudrun, hitherto the most expensive natural disaster in Swedish history, significantly contributed to the incumbent's loss.[10]In a subsequent article inElectoral Studies,[11]it was observed that the deficient storm response still swayed voters in the2010and2014 elections.[10]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Wetter mapmet.fu-berlin.de
- ^Wetter mapmet.fu-berlin.de
- ^"Gudrun - Januaristormen 2005".SMHI - Swedish Met Office.SMHI.Retrieved7 December2013.
- ^"Gudrun - Januaristormen 2005".SMHI - Swedish Met Office.SMHI.Retrieved9 September2017.
- ^abcdefghi"Life history of Depression ERWIN".FU-Berlin.Retrieved1 January2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^Harper, Mike (8 January 2015)."10 years on from the Cumbrian and Carlisle Floods of 2005".Environment Agency.Retrieved19 January2016.
- ^ab"Smålands klimat".SMHI(in Swedish). 16 January 2018.Retrieved10 May2019.
- ^abcd"Skogsskador efter Gudrun".SMHI(in Swedish). 8 July 2015.Retrieved10 May2019.
- ^"The World's Largest Wood Stockpile Is Absolutely Insane".Gizmodo. Archived fromthe originalon 16 May 2012.Retrieved14 May2012.
- ^abEriksson, Lina M. (2017).Natural Disasters and National Election: On the 2004 Indian Ocean Boxing Day Tsunami, the 2005 Storm Gudrun and the 2006 Historic Regime Shift(PhD thesis). Uppsala University.ISBN978-91-554-9813-9.
- ^Eriksson, Lina M. (2016). "Winds of Change: Voter Blame and Storm Gudrun in the 2006 Swedish Parliamentary Election".Electoral Studies.41:129–142.doi:10.1016/j.electstud.2015.12.003.
- Danish page with wind speeds and satellite image- From theDanish Meteorological Institute(in Danish).
- Guy Carpenter report on Windstorm Erwin / Gudrun – January 2005- A report for the insurance business with detailed information about the storm.
