The calm before the storm appears to be ending
Last edited Sun Feb 9, 2020, 06:28 PM - Edit history (1)
For once, this has nothing to do with Trump or even America. I have been on the road constantly, so haven't been paying attention to local weather reports.
Starting today, my part of Europe is supposed to be hit by hurricane-force winds. They are supposed to be so severe that later today, the warnings are for "trees being uprooted," and tomorrow for "trees being uprooted and blown through the air into cars and houses." I just lookes outside. It's a little breezy, but nothing that looks especially threatening. We HAVE had storms like that before. Forests in eastern France have been flattened, and even here a few strorms were so severe, trees were blown down and half-blown down to the point where some popular forest hiking trails were closed for as long as 18 months. Once I had to go into my small town for an errand during one of these, and just missed getting my head bashed in by a metal sign flying through the air like Oddjob's hat in "Goldfinger." By the time I got home, I couldn't get to the house because an immense tree had been blown down across my street.
But these things, when they happened, usually were far worse than expected. This time, we have been told to expect far worse than we have seen up to now. I hope the forecasts were completely wrong. I have to fly down to Paris tomorrow and Spain the next day. If there are trees flying through my house, the likelihood of planes being able to take off and land is minimal at best, and I probably wouldn't be able to get to the airport anyway (or home, if I did).
So far, all I see out the window (it is now 8:30 AM here, 2:30 AM back on the East Coast of North America), are some gently waving treetops. The satellite image, on the other hand, shows a huge mass of white just at the coast of France and Belgium, and it's heading our way (that's usually about 3 hours ahead of us, weather-wise). I hope it decides to just stay there.
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I had the same experience on my way home last night, the main road I needed to take was closed off because of downed trees, lucky I knew a way around - had to drive slow enough not to slide, but fast enough not to get stuck. 
Be careful out there! 
We also have had strong winds here, but this time the damage was from the ice weighing down the trees, followed by a whole lot of snow that stuck. There are still some without power not far from here, but we don't lose it often because the lines are underground. These are scary weather times, seems like it's getting worse all over... 
On a day that should have brought you both nothing but joy. Ice is always a huge danger in my neck-of-the-woods - Northeastern New York. A couple of years ago we were suddenly hit with a freak ice and snowstorm at the end of October. The leaves were still on the trees and the ground wasn't frozen. There was huge damage all over, trees came down everywhere damaging buildings and roads and driving was impossible. I was scheduled to go to an event that I felt I couldn't skip since I was supposed to pick up the cake. I started out and traffic was just at a crawl, took me a half hour to get to the bakery that was 10 minutes away. I pulled off and called my friend to find out if it was canceled and she told me she was the only one there. 7 people showed up and when I left I followed the car ahead of me since it seemed awfully dark - turned out that the power was out on the main roads. Last night reminded me a lot of that experience. 
Continue to be careful, DFW. 
Heavy rains have lashed the UK and Ireland, with hurricane-strength winds and travel delays expected over a wide area. Forecasters say the power of the storm — also due to hit Germany — shouldn't be underestimated.
Link: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-braces-for-storm-sabine-transport-delays/a-52308204
(snips)
The German Meteorological Service (DWD) said Sabine was expected to batter the country's northwest from mid-morning Sunday, and then gradually travel south across central Germany towards Bavaria.
"Overnight into Monday morning the storm will reach southern Germany," Jens Hoffmann, meteorologist at the German Weather Service, told DW. "We expect that there will be heavy gusts of wind in the lowlands, or even hurricane-strength gusts in the low mountain ranges and also in the Alps." He added that the storm shouldn't be underestimated, and that people should avoid traveling and going outdoors.
"Looking at Sabine's structure, it's a remarkable storm," he said. "We mustn't forget that this is a longer-lasting event. You can't think: 'It's Monday morning, the front has passed.' That's not right — it'll continue."
Airport operators in Berlin and Frankfurt said they were monitoring windspeeds closely. German flagship airline Lufthansa said passengers should prepare for flight cancellations and delays between Saturday and Tuesday, while German rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) urged people planning trips during the storm — especially in northern and western Germany — to postpone their travels.
"We've mobilized and doubled all our forces in every region," a DB spokesman said, adding that personnel were prepared to respond to destroyed power lines and fallen trees. Sabine, which has been dubbed Ciara in other European countries, prompted similar warnings in Britain, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands.
This reads like flooding may be an issue as well.
Best of luck, DFW. Be safety minded and please let us know what you've observed post-storm....
be getting some of that here as well. https://www.lematin.ch/suisse/nouvelle-tempete-balayer-suisse/story/16406989
I've got plenty of food, etc. but I also have a LOT of windows.
I think that I'll move small tables, chairs, etc. inside tonight to avoid their being knocked about.
I can't do anything about trees though.
Thanks for sharing your story. 
totally apart from the weather - wrt to air travel to Paris?
Some friends got caught up in the most recent French air controllers strike. Their British Airways flight from London to GVA wasn't cancelled, but it was greatly delayed. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-22880315/french-air-traffic-strike-grounds-uk-flights
Having to travel so much, you must already be aware of these vagaries and risks. Good luck!
Hop all will be well for you and your family.
That will make them happy. They ski a lot there and they haven't had much snow this year. Looks nasty in Copenhagen though.
Here is a crazy person windsurfing in Oslofjord.
