England’s Storm Gerrit spurs nail-biting jet landings in London, spawns Manchester tornado
Storm Gerrit caused chaos across the UK with major flooding in Scotland and strong crosswinds at London Heathrow. A tornado was reported in Manchester.
Jet makes harrowing landing at Heathrow Airport in strong winds from Storm Gerrit
An American Airlines pilot landed in strong winds from Storm Gerrit at London Heathrow Airport. (Video: Big Jet TV/LOCAL NEWS X /TMX)
LONDON – A storm that slammed into the UK this week brought damaging winds, flooding rains, impactful snow, and even a rare tornado in England Wednesday that left more than 100 homes damaged in Manchester.
The UK Met Office named the system Storm Gerrit – their seventh named storm of the season – and issued several weather warnings for strong winds, intense rain and winter weather.
Winds topped out at 86 mph in northern Scotland and 83 mph in northwestern England, where more than 3 inches of rain were recorded, according to the Met Office. Wind gusts reached 35-40 mph at London's Heathrow Airport, again causing some harrowing landings that were caught on video just days after similar scenes played out at Manchester's airport during Storm Pia.
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Storm Gerrit brought flooding and wintry conditions to Scotland, where thousands are still without power more than 24 hours after the worst of the storm passed, reports the BBC. Flooding closed the Bowling Station train stop and blocked roads in Dumbarton, Scotland.
Flooding in Scotland and storm damage in Manchester, England caused by Storm Gerrit.
(Getty Images)
The storm also caused travel disruptions for those in south England as pilots coming in for landing at London's Heathrow faced off against powerful winds. Video from plane-spotting websites Big Jet TV and GoAirplane show some of the belly-turning landings at Heathrow on Wednesday as pilots attempted to land in near 40 mph wind gusts, causing some to abort their landing attempts.
WATCH: FLOODING IN LONDON LEAVES VEHICLES STRANDED AS RIVERS RISE
Big Jet TV commentator Jerry Dyer was stunned when an American Airlines pilot stuck the landing in the video at the top of this story. The jet was arriving from Los Angeles in strong crosswinds from Storm Gerrit.
"Oh my god, mate!" Dyer yelled as the plane bounced down on the runway. "How we did not go around I just have no idea."
The video completion below from GoAirplane shows multiple pilots making bunny-hop landings or aborting altogether and coming around again.
Pilots attempt landing at London Heathrow during England's Storm Gerrit
Multiple airline jets attempt to land during powerful winds from Storm Gerrit at London Heathrow Airport. (Video Credit: GoAirplane via Storyful)
Last week, pilots faced similar harrowing landing conditions in Manchester with Storm Pia.
WATCH: PLANES ABORT HARROWING LANDINGS IN ENGLAND AS STORM PIA RAKES UK WITH 50-80 MPH GUSTS
Storm Gerrit spawns tornado in Manchester
On Wednesday around 11:45 p.m., a tornado caused damage to the communities of Stalybridge and Tameside, according to the Greater Manchester Police Department.
Police declared the storm damage a "major incident" because of the severity of the damage. Despite the damage, no injuries have been reported but Greater Manchester Police Chief Superintendent Mark Dexter said the tornado left many residents temporarily homeless.
![An aerial view shows a house roof blown off in the aftermath of a tornado on December 28, 2023 in Stalybridge, England.]()
Image 1 of 7An aerial view shows a house roof blown off in the aftermath of a tornado on December 28, 2023 in Stalybridge, England. Houses in the Tameside area of Greater Manchester have been damaged by a localised tornado during Storm Gerrit. (Photo by Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images) ( )
![Roofs can be seen ripped off homes on Hough Hill in the aftermath of a tornado on December 28, 2023 in Stalybridge, England.]()
Image 2 of 7Roofs can be seen ripped off homes on Hough Hill in the aftermath of a tornado on December 28, 2023 in Stalybridge, England. Houses in the Tameside area of Greater Manchester have been damaged by a tornado during Storm Gerrit. (Photo by Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images) ( )
![A woman and child step over debris in the aftermath of a tornado on December 28, 2023 in Stalybridge, England.]()
Image 3 of 7A woman and child step over debris in the aftermath of a tornado on December 28, 2023 in Stalybridge, England. Houses in the Tameside area of Greater Manchester have been damaged by a localised tornado during Storm Gerrit. (Photo by Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images) ( )
![Roofs can be seen ripped off homes on Hough Hill Road following a tornado on December 28, 2023 in Stalybridge, England.]()
Image 4 of 7Roofs can be seen ripped off homes on Hough Hill Road following a tornado on December 28, 2023 in Stalybridge, England. (Photo by Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images) ( )
![Debris from a wall damaged by a tornado is seen on December 28, 2023 in Stalybridge, England. Houses in the Tameside area of Greater Manchester have been damaged by a localised tornado during Storm Gerrit.]()
Image 5 of 7Debris from a wall damaged by a tornado is seen on December 28, 2023 in Stalybridge, England. Houses in the Tameside area of Greater Manchester have been damaged by a localised tornado during Storm Gerrit. (Photo by Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images) ( )
![A tree surgeon removes a fallen tree following a tornado on December 28, 2023 in Stalybridge, England.]()
Image 6 of 7A tree surgeon removes a fallen tree following a tornado on December 28, 2023 in Stalybridge, England. Houses in the Tameside area of Greater Manchester have been damaged by a localised tornado during Storm Gerrit. (Photo by Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images) ( )
![Resident Rebecca Saycell waits outside her house after the roof was ripped off in the aftermath of a tornado on December 28, 2023 in Stalybridge, England.]()
Image 7 of 7Resident Rebecca Saycell waits outside her house after the roof was ripped off in the aftermath of a tornado on December 28, 2023 in Stalybridge, England. (Photo by Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images) ( )
Photos show extensive damage to trees and property in Stalybridge, including a home with the roof ripped off.
Met Office meteorologists said Storm Gerrit has cleared the UK, but strong winds and heavy rain are forecast for the weekend.