After wreaking havoc across Bermuda, the Caribbean, and Newfoundland with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (230 km/h), Oct. 21 saw Hurricane Gonzalo choose the U.K. as it's final stop in a whirlwind wrecking spree that started since it's formation on Oct. 12.
Although considerably weakened to 70 mph (110 km/h), it was still powerful enough to cause three fatalities, major travel disruption, and extensive property and infrastructure damage.
One of the fatalities was a woman who was crushed by a falling tree as she was walking down Kensington Road near Hyde Park Barracks. In Canvey, Essex, a man who was under a van doing repairs was also crushed after the powerful winds dislodged the car jack causing the said van to fall on top of him. And lastly, the strong winds buffeting a bridge in Merseyside, Liverpool, caused a 63-year-old man to lose control of his car and crash.
Three people were also badly injured badly at Southwick Recreation Ground in West Wessex after a tree uprooted by Gonzalo fell on top of them resulting in head and spinal injuries.
At Heathrow Airport, 110 flights were cancelled although that number included Lufthansa flights that were cancelled due to a pilot's strike. This figure, however, is less than 10 percent of the airport's 1,286 daily flight total.
Other airports in the U.K. reported no disruption in their operations. And although the train system did not report any delays due to the hurricane, a tweet from South West Trains reported experiencing "poor rail adhesion," meaning the trains were still close to danger due to trouble accelerating as the wheels slip when applying power.
Overall, it can be said that considering the recent horror stories from previous hurricanes (Haian, Katrina, etc. ) the U.K. still emerged quite unscathed and relieved that Gonzalo's impact was considerably less than what most had feared.
