Gale of January 1976

The gale of 2–5 January 1976 resulted in severe wind damage across western and central Europe and coastal flooding around the southern North Sea coasts.

During the afternoon of 1 January, a depression broke away from this central Atlantic low[2] from the SW of the Azores in a frontal wave, transporting a mass of warm and moist air[6] and moved quickly northeast, to be centred 150 kilometres (90 mi) north-west of Malin Head Ireland, by midday on 2 January.

[11] The low then passed eastwards, crossing central Scotland out into the North Sea to reach northern Denmark by the morning of 3 January.

[10] Flood warnings were only received by the police from the Met Office half an hour before water overwhelmed the sea defences.

[10] In Ireland, damage from wind brought down trees and power lines on the evening of 2 January, blocking many roads.

[15] The storm saw structural damage occur across nearly all counties of England, Wales and Northern Ireland,[2] with the worst hit areas in a band from Ulster across the Irish Sea to Lancashire and down through the Midlands into East Anglia.

Two lightvessels in the North Sea reported hurricane-force winds lasting over several hours, with high windspeeds continuing for the rest of 3 January.

[6] Elsewhere in the Netherlands, damages included the St Boniface church spire in Leeuwarden, which was brought down by the strong winds.

[6] Two fatalities were recorded in the Netherlands caused by heavy gusts; one resulted from strong winds blowing a car off the Afsluitdijk into the IJsselmeer.

In East Germany the storm caused several power outages and disrupted rail transport between Magdeburg and Halberstadt.

The heavy winds were also reportedly responsible for spreading a forest fire to a dry cleaning facility in Como, resulting in $1 million (1976 USD) damages.

[22] In the Irish Sea, 400 passengers aboard the Le Havre to Rosslare ferry arrived 10 hours late after being tossed in the storm.

[2] The former Isle of Man steamer TSS King Orry (IV) broke her mooring and ran aground in the Lune estuary, while berthed at Glasson Dock waiting to be dismantled.

In Rotterdam the freighter Nopalsel 19,000 GRT broke free from its moorings, to prevent it from crashing into the port's main bridge twelve trucks were employed to pull the ship with steel cables.

[36] The Italian ore carrier Brasilia 72,350 GRT collided with Forteiland (Fort Island) IJmuiden, on the way to Koninklijke Hoogovens steelworks, the tug Stentor ran aground in the salvage attempt.

[44] Three storms in the last quarter of the 20th century are estimated to have caused European losses in excess of €5bn at 2002 exposed property values, the Gale of 2–3 January 1976 (Capella), Daria and Lothar.

[48] Across the United Kingdom 1 million cubic metres of timber were destroyed,[16] the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute estimated that half of England's forests were flattened.

During the construction period the area was hit by the higher locally 1978 North Sea storm surge which flooded 1000 properties,[14][50] leading to the acceleration of the building for completion in October 1978.

[50] A scheme costing £215,000 was enacted to strengthen the sea defences at Mablethorpe which included installing timber doors across the pullovers which could be closed in winter.

The promenade at Sutton-on-Sea was regraded, with an additional spraywall built, works were also carried out to increase the height of sea wall where it was overtopped.

[50] In Norfolk this storm and the 1978 surge led to the construction of a £1.5 million sea wall built between Happisburgh and Winterton Ness.

[50] Peak wind speeds of over 90 mph (140 km/h) were recorded at Jodrell Bank Observatory, which severely tested the structure of the Lovell Telescope.

On 6 January, residents of Ruisbroek, Antwerp confronted the Belgian monarch Baudouin with chants of "We want bread" and "Repair the dykes".

[52][53] One angry resident famously confronted the king, asking him why "that there is 30 billion Belgian francs available for airplanes that thunder over our heads, but not enough money for reinforcing dikes?

The St Anna Church Amstelveen, without roof, 1976
Capella (right) a German ship lost in the storm, after which the storm was named in that country.
Storm surge "Capella", 3 January 1976, Hilligenley, Hallig Langeneß , Germany
Flood height marker Blankenese, Hamburg