Storm Erwin: Societal and energy impacts in northern Europe on 7-9 January 2005

On 7-9 January 2005 Storm Erwin passed across northern Europe causing damage and interrupting power and transportation networks from Ireland to the eastern Baltic region. In northern England the storm was associated with severe river flooding in Carlisle region that cut transportation links into the city and necessitated evacuations.  Across the Baltic region strong winds were reported, resulting in large scale forest damage and power outages.  In Denmark, wind energy was impacted as wind speeds crossed the 25 m/s cutoff threshold for turbine operations, leading to a mass shut down of wind turbines and requiring electricity to be imported to make up the shortfall.  In Sweden, there were widespread power outages as transmissions lines were blown down in the winds, and coastal nuclear power plants were shut down when sea spray caused short-circuiting problems in power transmission.  The storm was associated with a notable coastal surge and flooding, particularly in Denmark and the eastern Baltic.  The present contribution presents an overview of the societal impacts of the storm.  A detailed analysis is carried out of offshore impacts around the North Sea using tide gauge and wave data recorded during the event, and shipping accidents from media reports.