Fierce storm brings floods, transit woes to northern Europe

LONDON — Storm Ciara battered the U.K. and northern Europe with hurricane-force winds and heavy rains Sunday, halting flights and trains and producing surging seas that closed down ports.

Soccer games, farmers’ markets and cultural events were canceled as authorities urged millions of people to remain indoors, away from falling trees and flying debris.

Named by the U.K. Met Office weather agency, the storm packed gusts that hit 93 mph at the northern Welsh village of Aberdaron.

A British Airways plane is thought to have made the fastest ever flight by a conventional airliner from New York to London. The fierce winds propelled a Boeing 747-436 to make the 3,500-mile transatlantic journey in just 4 hours and 56 minutes, landing 102 minutes early and reaching a top speed of 825 mph, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24. Two Virgin Airlines flights also roared across the Atlantic, with all three smashing the previous subsonic New York-to-London record of 5 hours and 13 minutes, Flightradar24 reported.

Storm surges ate away at beaches and pounded rock cliffs and docks. The Met Office issued 190 emergency flood warnings and urged people not to try to drive through flooded roads. Residents in the town of Appleby-in-Westmorland in northwest England battled to protect their homes amid severe flooding as the River Eden burst its banks.

At least 10 rail companies in Britain sent out “do not travel” warnings, while nearly 20 others told passengers to expect extensive delays. The strong winds damaged electrical wires and littered train tracks with broken tree limbs and other debris.

Airlines reported scores of cancelations and delays, while two major ports on either side of the English Channel, Dover in England and Calais in France, shut down operations amid high waves. Ferries were canceled across the...