Storm Eunice () (known as Storm Zeynep in Germany and Storm Nora in Denmark) was a powerful extratropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds that was part of the 2021–2022 European windstorm season. Storm Eunice was named by the UK Met Office on 14 February 2022. A red weather warning was issued on 17 February for parts of South West England and South Wales, with a second red warning issued on 18 February, the day the storm struck, for London, the South East and East of England. Eunice set a new record for the fastest wind gust recorded in England with 122 miles per hour (196 km/h) at The Needles, Isle of Wight. The storm was one of the most powerful to impact the south coast of England since the Great Storm of 1987. The storm caused extensive damage in parts of Western, Central, Northern and Eastern Europe; millions of people were left without power across affected areas, and many homes had sustained damage. In the UK, 1.4 million homes left without power at its peak. Several other countries were struck hard by Eunice, with wind damage being mostly the cause of it. Heavy winds damaged parts of buildings, and wind gusts in excess of 120 miles per hour (190 km/h) were recorded. Eunice caused 17 fatalities, and multiple injuries.
Meteorology The Met Office named Storm Eunice (as well as Storm Dudley) on 14 February; the Free University of Berlin (FUB) named the same storm "Zeynep" on 16 February. Storm Eunice formed on 17 February on a complex cold front situated west of Azores. It rapidly deepened later on 17 February being driven along the right entrance region of the upper-level jet. Met Éireann of Ireland tweeted that the rapid pressure drop during cyclogenesis met the criteria for explosive cyclogenesis. The storm also developed a sting jet similarly to the Great Storm of 1987.
Impact
Belgium The roof of the Ghelamco Arena was damaged, resulting in the postponement of the First Division A match between Gent and Seraing scheduled for 18 February. In Tournai, parts of a crane were torn loose and fell on a hospital, damaging the roof and top floor. The town centre of Asse had to be evacuated due to the risk of a church tower collapsing. Public transport was temporarily suspended in large parts of Flanders, with NMBS and De Lijn both announcing trains, buses, and trams were scrapped. Thalys services between Brussels and Amsterdam were also cancelled. Two ships ran adrift off the Belgian coast. The cargo ship Diamond Sky drifted through two offshore wind farms, but arrived at its final destination in the Netherlands without sustaining any damage. The Maersk Nimbus oil tanker was forced to lie at anchor in the C-Power offshore wind farm until its rescue by tugboats the next day. Two people died as a result of the heavy winds. In Ypres, a 79-year-old British man drowned after falling from his boat at the marina. In Ghent, a man was hit by a broken solar panel and died in a hospital the next day. At least three others were seriously injured. In Menen, an 18-year-old jogger was taken to a hospital in critical condition after being hit by a loose branch. In Temse, a man sustained a major head injury after a metal plate was ripped off a construction site container. In Veurne, a truck driver was hospitalized after his or her truck was overturned. The highest wind gust measured in Belgium during the storm was 144 km/h (89 mph) in Knokke-Heist.
Czech Republic The storm had left 26,000 homes without power and several railway lines in the country were suspended.
Denmark The Danish Meteorological Institute decided to give the storm the name Nora, believing the name Eunice would be difficult to pronounce in Nordic languages. Nora did not cause significant damage to Denmark, and most models suggest Nora hit it with wind speeds of 60~70 km/h (37~43 mph). They also suggested Nora hit Southern Jutland the most, particularly near the German border as this was where Nora was closest to Denmark from Germany. The highest wind recorded during the storm was 146 km/h (91 mph) in Højer.
France In France, an orange warning was issued in 5 departments, with 140 km/h (87 mph) winds anticipated in the northernmost points of France, however the peak was 176 km/h (109 mph) at Cap Gris Nez. Nord, Pas-de-Calais, Somme, Seine-Maritime, and Manche all received orange weather warnings, and yellow weather warnings were issued for most of Northern France. Police in Wimereux were reported to have been patrolling the seafront ensuring nobody walked on it. Six people were seriously injured in the Nord department of France. Up to 160,000 households were left without electricity throughout the country. Regional trains in Hauts-de-France and Normandy were suspended, and the Lille-Flandres station was temporarily evacuated after debris fell on the glass roof.
Germany
In Germany, Eunice was named Zeynep by the FUB, ahead of the system's impact storm tide warnings were issued near the Elbe river in preparation for 90 mph (145 km/h) winds, higher than Ylenia which impacted the area only days prior. Eunice made landfall at about midday local time, close to the mouth of the Elbe. Two people died in separate car accidents in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia in connection with the storm, authorities said. A man died after falling when trying to repair a damaged roof near Cuxhaven, Lower Saxony in the municipality of Wurster Nordseeküste. In Hamburg, a storm surge up the River Elbe reached 3.75m. A 55-meter crane collapsed on an under-construction office building in Bremen. A post mill at Klettbach, Thuringia was blown down. Photographs show that the main post had snapped where the quarterbars join and the mill had blown over onto its side. It is hoped that the mill can be rebuilt. Initial estimation of insurance loss was 900 million euros (US$1.02 billion). The highest wind gust measured in Germany was 145.8 km/h (90.6 mph) at Brocken.
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