Storms Pummel Western Europe; 6 Killed

Whipping winds and heavy rain pounded much of Western Europe on Monday, flooding villages, damaging buildings and prompting officials in some places to cancel flights. At least six people were killed.

In Britain, three southern rivers had overflowed by Monday afternoon, and two people died when a car was struck by a falling tree.

Police and emergency teams across England were kept busy fortifying flood defenses and evacuating dozens of elderly people from homes inundated by up to 2 feet of water.

In the northern city of York, one of the hardest hit, the River Ouse was receding from its Saturday peak, but police feared the new rain could cause it to rise again and topple waterlogged fortifications.

“We are very concerned about the state of the flood defenses. They have been under pressure now for a good week at levels not seen here for 400 years,” Chief Superintendent Gary Barnett said.

In Ireland, a 68-year-old woman died after being hit by a gate in heavy winds.

In France, rain caused flooding along the Mediterranean coast. In Nice, a 60-year-old man was killed after being carried away by a mudslide. In Gap, also in the southeast, a 34-year-old man was killed by a mudslide while pushing a car up a hill. In Soorts-Hossegor, in the southwest, a 41-year-old woman died when a tree fell on her car.

No fatalities were reported in Switzerland despite winds that reached enormous velocities, but thick snow halted traffic through the Swiss Alps.

In Spain, gusty winds and heavy rain cut off roads and prompted airports to delay or cancel flights.