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What Is Storm Katie, And Where Will It Hit? #StormKatie

By Amy Feinstein
Published on: 07:12 PST, Mar 28, 2016

Storm Katie doesn’t sound ferocious to Americans. First, the storm doesn’t hold the same punch as a hurricane, a tornado, or even a tropical storm because, in America, just the word storm doesn’t give an indication of how to prepare. Storm Katie, though, is all over the news, and people in the United Kingdom seem really concerned, but what is this about?

Newsweek is indicating that Storm Katie is bringing serious gusts of wind and water and causing property damage to the UK. They are also suggesting that thousands are currently without power, and the water is rising throughout the UK. The Environment Agency, which is akin to the National Weather Service in the United States, is talking about flood warnings, and hundreds of warnings of rising waters in Storm Katie’s wake.

Twitter is alive with warnings, marked #StormKatie, and BBC weathercaster Simon King said that things could have been worse if so many people weren’t off the road for Easter Monday (Easter Monday). King is keeping people in touch across the area with his Twitter warnings (@SimonOKing).

The Weather Channel, which in the United States is a familiar source for weather panic, says that Storm Katie is lashing the United Kingdom and now France with high winds and water dangers (flooding). Flight cancellations in this region of Europe are spreading, and airports are limiting flights and landings.

In England, 87 flights at Gatwick Airport have been canceled and more have been diverted. At Heathrow, 60 mph-plus winds are causing problems, and people on flights that had landed said it was rough going. Over 19,000 homes in England are without power at this time. Southwestern England has over 100 flooding alerts, and many bridges are closed due to Storm Katie, mostly as a precaution.

In France, the Brittany region has over 35,000 customers without power right now. Coastal regions are at risk, and gusts of wind up to 85 mph are threatening to take out power in even more households.

Express is reporting that a passenger has died as a result of Storm Katie on a flight due to the 105 mph winds. A flight en route to Heathrow from Bali was diverted to Manchester when a man died on the Malaysian flight. The other passengers say they were diverted back and forth, but there are no details about the actual cause of death.

Another accident in the UK on the roads has been named as a result of Storm Katie.

BBC News is reporting in a breaking story that a construction crane was bent as a result of Storm Katie. They are also reporting that a kayaker was found dead in Surrey, and now 200,000 homes are without power. Wales is now reporting serious power outages.

Trees down throughout the rail system are stopping travel, and passengers getting off of flights that have landed in England are shaken up by what many are calling a “hairy” situation, as the winds are causing issues with landing.

The Mirror is sharing the story of Storm Katie in pictures of damage throughout the region. The rains are now coming down, and the photos of storms in Exeter are just making the damage worse. The storms are coming in the direction of Cornwall and the North Sea. There is no report on the end of the storm and when it will move out of the region.

What do you know about Storm Katie and how do you think it relates to U.S. storms?

[Photo by Tony Feder/Getty Images]

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