Latest In Series Of Severe Storm Trashes Western Europe, At Least 14 Deaths

In this screen grab from news video, people in 
northwestern France struggle in hurricane force
gusts and flooding from Storm Ciaran 

During the past couple weeks at least, he United States - including us here in Vermont - have been getting a welcome break from the extreme weather brought on by El Nino and climate change.

Not so in Europe, where intense storms coming off the Atlantic Ocean have caused widespread destruction over the past month or so. 

The worst of the storms hit this past week. They name winter storms in Europe, and this one was Ciaran. 

The intense wind and rain storm tore across much of western and central Europe, so far killing at least 14 people and likely causing several billion dollars in damage. 

France and Italy appear to be the two  hardest hit nations. The coast of France endured wind gusts as high as 129 mph. The port city of Brest in northwestern France had record high wind gusts of around 100 mph. The city has widespread structural and tree damage. Half a million French households had no electricity for at least two days because of the storm. 

The island of Jersey in the Channel Islands is said to have worse damage than the Great Storm of 1987, which is the benchmark for the severest storms in the region. Most houses on the island have at least some damage, ranging from broken windows to missing roofs and caved in walls. 

Storm Ciaran unleashed severe floods in Italy, where at least six people died.  Damage was worst in and around Tuscany.  Video showed dozens of cars being shoved down city streets in Italy by powerful torrents of water. 

Flooding extended as far north as Northern Ireland, where the cities of Downpatrick and Newry were inundated, 

Recently, on and around October 20, Another storm, named Babet, hit the U.K,, causing some of the worst flooding on record in Scotland and parts of the British Midlands. 

Yet another storm, named Domingos, is sweeping through France and surrounding areas today. Though not nearly as strong as Ciaran, it is still causing damaging gales and prolonging flooding in parts of western Europe. 

Vicious fall and winter storms have always hit Europe, especially when there's an El Nino, like we're having now. But the storms are also being turbo charged by climate change.  Oceans are warmer, so incoming storms can gather more energy and become stronger. 

The warmer atmosphere can also hold more moisture, so downpours are more intense, causing worse flooding than in the past.