 Storm Dennis at its near-record peak intensity on 15 February, spanning most of the North Atlantic | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 11 February 2020 |
| Dissipated | 18 February 2020 |
| Extratropical cyclone | |
| Highest gusts | 142 mph (229 km/h) Stokksnes, Iceland: 14 February 2020 |
| Lowest pressure | 920 hPa (mbar); 27.17 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 7[1] |
| Areas affected | United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands |
| Power outages | 26,000+[2][3] |
Part of the 2019–20 European windstorm season | |
Storm Dennis[a] was a European windstorm which, in February 2020, became one of the most intense extratropical cyclones ever recorded, reaching a minimum central pressure of 920 millibars (27.17 inches of mercury). The thirteenth named storm of the 2019–20 European windstorm season, Dennis affected the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom less than a week after Storm Ciara, exacerbating the impacts from that storm amidst ongoing flooding in the latter country.
A precursor low over North America was named by The Weather Channel, which unofficially named it Mabel, moving eastwards across the southern United States. After bringing blizzard conditions to the Midwest and heavy snowfall to New England, the cyclone emerged into the north Atlantic, where it redeveloped into Storm Dennis, officially named by the Met Office on 11 February – Dennis subsequently underwent explosive cyclogenesis on 13 February, reaching its near-record low pressure south of Iceland the following day. Destructive winds and heavy rainfall moved south into the British Isles over the weekend of 15–16 February as Dennis passed north of Scotland; the storm subsequently began to weaken, making landfall in Norway the following day.
At least five fatalities have been recorded from Storm Dennis as of 18 February in the United Kingdom. Heavy rainfall caused severe flooding in Wales and southern England, with many rivers reaching their highest levels ever recorded. Further flooding was also reported in areas of northern England that had been inundated by Storm Ciara the previous weekend.
- ^ MacSwan, Anna (February 19, 2020). "Woman, 87, feared to be Storm Dennis' sixth victim after falling into river". mirror.
- ^ "Month's worth of rain falls in 'major' floods". BBC News. February 16, 2020.
- ^ "Bomb Cyclone Storm Dennis, One of the Most Intense North Atlantic Storms on Record, Triggers Massive Flooding in U.K." The Weather Channel.
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