A series of freak weather events involving wind and snow have left over a dozen dead from Scotland to Spain
Near Barcelona, four children were killed when a roof collapsed due to hurricane-force winds. One weather station in northern Spain recorded wind gusts up to 110 MPH, the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane according to the Saffir-Simpson scale.In Biscarrosse, France, a wind gust of 99 MPH was recorded. Such winds are extremely rare outside tropical cyclones and tornadoes and especially so in continental Europe.
The winds extended into southern France and through much of northeastern Spain, causing huge traffic jams and making travel a nightmare across the region.
