User:LightandDark2000/Cyclone Stephanie (2016)
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The September 2016 Bay of Biscay cyclone, also named Cyclone Stephanie by the Free University of Berlin, was a rare and unusual extratropical cyclone that formed in the Bay of Biscay in the middle of September of 2016. Forming from the tail end of a cold front that was located in the far northeastern Atlantic Ocean, the nascent system drifted southeastwards as it began to undergo occlusion. The cyclone eventually reached its peak intensity on 15 September, before coming ashore near the Spain–France border, rapidly weakening, and later dissipating on the next day.
![]() The cyclone in the Bay of Biscay, shortly after its peak intensity on 15 September, with an eye-like structure visible | |
Type | Subtropical cyclone (disputed) Extratropical cyclone European windstorm |
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Formed | 12 September 2016 |
Dissipated | 16 September 2016 |
Highest winds |
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Highest gust | 130 km/h (81 mph) in Basque Country, Spain |
Lowest pressure | 998 mb (29.47 inHg) |
Fatalities | None |
Damage | Minimal |
Areas affected | Portugal, Spain, France, United Kingdom |
Part of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season (unofficially) |
Although the system itself didn't cause a lot of damage (with the exception of producing gusts up to 130 km/h (81 mph), heavy rain and some minor surf in the affected areas), it gained a lot of media attention from meteorologists particularly because of its resemblance of a subtropical cyclone, which the foreign meteorological service Météo-France claimed it was, due to its apparent eye feature and nearly separating completely from its parent extratropical cyclone. However, no other meteorological services classify it as a tropical or subtropical cyclone, mainly because surface analysis from NOAA and other agencies still showed fronts attached to it. Furthermore, the National Hurricane Center did not name or monitor the system, due to the disagreement over this storm's exact nature.