Marine flooding in Wimereux (62) Wednesday August 2, 2023 – capture The Voice of the North
The Patricia depression impacted a large northern half of France on Wednesday August 2, generating stormy gusts responsible for falling trees and marine flooding.
Storm Patricia: powerful gusts in the middle of summer
A very atypical depression for the summer season circulated over the southern British Isles on Wednesday August 2, 2023. Named Patricia, it reached abnormally low pressures for the season, pointing to 982 hPa over southern Ireland and causing the barometer to drop to 987 hPa in Dunkirk in the North at the end of the evening. The rolling low pressure was impressive, similar to the storms encountered in autumn or winter. It must be said that Patricia circulated in a favorable environment, in the presence of a powerful jet current at altitude.
Satellite image of storm Patricia this Wednesday August 2, 2023 at 12 p.m. – via meteociel.fr
Storm Patricia particularly affected the coasts of Brittany and the English Channel where gusts frequently reached and exceeded the 100 km/h mark. It was at Carteret in the English Channel that the maximum gust was recorded with 121 km/h ! Furthermore, we measured 113 km/h at Cap de la Hève (76) at the end of the day but also 112 km/h on the Island of Groix (56). The powerful gusts also affected the interior. Several stations in the northern half exceeded 90 km/h. This was the case of Orly with 95 km/h or Châteauroux with 99 km/h. We even noticed 101 km/h in Nancy-Ochey and 104 km/h in Albert-Bray (80)!
Map of the maximum gusts generated by storm Patricia this Wednesday, August 2, 2023 – Weather Cities
Many tree falls
As we are in the middle of summer, the trees are leafy and their wind resistance is therefore much greater than in winter, which makes them much more vulnerable to the winds. Thus, many tree falls have been observed in the northern half of France. The photos below were taken in Asnières-sur-Oise in Val-d’Oise where the trees cut off a main road. Some local and temporary power outages were also reported.
Falling trees in Asnières-sur-Oise (95) this Wednesday August 2, 2023 – photos town hall
Some major cities have been hit by falling trees. This was for example the case of Angers below (where 90 km/h were recorded) but also of Nantes or Châteauroux. In Charente Maritime, a 10-year-old child was run over by a tree in Montpellier-de-Médillan, near Saintes. The child suffers from a severe head trauma and was between life and death on Wednesday evening.
Uprooted tree in Angers (49) this Wednesday August 2, 2023 – via @TiTim485 on Twitter
Killer floods and waves
The coasts of Brittany and the English Channel had been placed on orange alert for the wave-submersion parameter, due to the strong swell coinciding with high tidal coefficients (98-102). Flooding was observed on vulnerable parts of the coast, such as near Wimereux in Pas-de-Calais. This sector is very exposed to flooding during autumn or winter storms, but these scenes are atypical on August 2…
Marine flooding in Wimereux (62) Wednesday August 2, 2023 – capture The Voice of the North
In the department of Finistère, a tragedy occurred on the island of Ouessant at the end of the day. 57-year-old woman drowned when she had bathed despite waves 5 to 6 meters high! The rescuers intervened to get her out of the water but they were unable to revive her. Several emergency interventions were carried out throughout the day on the Atlantic coast, saving several lives.
Swell of 5 to 6 meters on the island of Ouessant (29) this Wednesday August 2, 2023 – photo Jacques Saulnier
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