Storm Ashley battered Scotland recently, packing 111 mph wind gusts and torrential rain.
What's happening?
The first named storm of the U.K.'s 2024/2025 storm season brought coastal flooding and high winds. Storm Ashley struck Scotland in late October, prompting nearly four dozen flood warnings from the government, as the Independent reported. The storm left thousands without electricity and disrupted travel, as flights were canceled at airports in Belfast and Dublin.
Weather service warnings cautioned that "injuries and danger to life is likely from large waves and beach material being thrown on to coastal roads, sea fronts and properties." Flooding was exacerbated by unusually high tides.
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In addition to the damage the storm caused, concerns are growing over their negative influence on people's moods.
"With much of the media coverage of storms associated with flooding, damage to properties, and weather or risk-to-life warnings, we are inundated by negative discussions around storms, leading to a negative mood and therefore, changes in behaviour," explained psychologist Dr. Rachael Molitor, per the Independent. "Weather can have a real impact on not only our 'in the moment' feelings, but also how we perceive the rest of the day and beyond."
Why is Storm Ashley important?
The Met Office, the U.K.'s national weather service, notes that our overheating planet contributes to several factors that will influence the region's storm activity. Our warming world has impacts on sea surface temperatures, the extent of sea ice, the position and strength of global jet streams, and climate patterns like the El Niño Southern Oscillation and Indian Ocean Dipole.
"In future, most climate projections indicate that winter windstorms will increase slightly in number and intensity over the U.K. i.e. more winter storms, including disproportionately more severe storms, are projected to cross the U.K.," according to the Met Office. "Coastal flooding from storms is expected to increase under climate change due to rising sea levels, worsening the impacts of storm surges. Without adaptation, there is a risk weaker storms could lead to coastal flooding where they wouldn't have in the past."
What's being done about the impact of our warming world on storms like Ashley?
Reductions in the amount of heat-trapping gases emitted into Earth's atmosphere can curtail the extent to which storms like Ashley are supercharged by our planet's rising temperatures. The key is to move more toward renewable energy sources and away from dirty energy options. Recent technological advances in solar energy, wind energy, and geothermal energy offer hope for a cleaner and cooler future.
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