At least one person was killed and 1.2 million French homes were left without power in France on Thursday morning as Storm Ciaran slammed into Western Europe overnight.
In France, wind speeds of up to 207 kilometres per hour were recorded on the Pointe du Raz, in the Finistère department in Brittany. 780,000 of the 1.2 million homes left without electricity were located in Brittany, the energy company Enedis reported on Thursday morning.
Transport Minister Clément Beaune reported that a truck driver was killed in the Aisne department northeast of Paris on Thursday when a tree fell on his vehicle.
This shows that even in regions that are not on red alert, there is a very high risk on the road.
The storm is forecast to move inland on Thursday with 31 French departments declaring an “orange alert” due to dangerous weather. A “violent wind” warning has been issued in Paris.
Widespread travel disruptions are expected until Friday morning, caused by the closure of several airports and railway lines across France. The storm is expected to hit several other Western European countries.
The UK Weather Bureau has issued severe weather warnings due to winds of around 80 mph (128km/h) or more in coastal areas. The major heavy weather will hit the Channel Islands and the east of England, although much of the south and southeast will also be hit by stronger-than-normal wind and rain.
Dutch airline KLM cancelled dozens of flights to and from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport on Thursday as Ciaran is expected to hit the Netherlands with wind gusts of up to 68 miles per hour (110 km/h).
