A preliminary measure by the U.K.’s weather service showed wind gusts at 122 miles per hour on the Isle of Wight, potentially the strongest in England’s history, according to the Associated Press. The strong winds and large waves have wreaked havoc in the region.
So far, four deaths have been confirmed in the Netherlands, two in the U.K., two in Belgium and one in Ireland, Reuters reported.
In the U.K., the weather service, called the Met Office, issued a “red weather warning,” which Chief Meteorologist Frank Saunders told Reuters is more rare than other warnings.
“Storm Eunice is really packing a punch,” Saunders said. “We only issue red weather warnings when we think there is a threat to life from the weather.”
According to the BBC, the warning means flying debris, blown-off roofs and power lines being knocked down, causing significant risk to human life.
So far, fallen trees have been the main cause of death in the storm. LondonWorld reported that a woman in her 30s died in north London after a tree fell on her car. The BBC report said a fallen tree also killed a man in Ireland. The Reuters report added that an English man died when his car collided with a fallen tree, and the four Dutch victims were also killed by fallen trees. One of the deaths in Belgium was caused by high wind knocking a crane onto the roof of a hospital and the other occurred when strong winds blew a man from his boat into the water, according to Reuters.
The world-famous London concert and sports venue O2 arena’s roof was shredded in the storm’s winds, temporarily closing it, the BBC reported. In the southern England town of Wells, winds knocked over the spire of a 19th-century church, the AP report added.
In addition to the damage and death, Eunice grounded dozens of planes at major airports, and other services like Uber Eats paused their services while the weather alerts are ongoing, according to Newsweek’s live updates on the situation. Flood warnings also continue in some regions, according to the BBC.
This is the second storm to hit Europe this week, AP reported. The first killed at least five people in Germany and Poland.
Update 2/18/22, 4:28 p.m. ET: This story was updated to add more information and photos.