The key facts

  • An orange weather alert has been declared in 23 departments of France; gusts up to 161 km/h at the Pointe du Raz cape.
  • About 161,000 households in north-west France are without electricity; rail services have been disrupted.
  • In the UK, more than 16,000 homes are without power in the south-west; in Germany the storm is expected under the name 'Louise' with winds up to 100 km/h.

Storm Austin hits north-west France

Storm Austin severely disrupted life in north-west France: an orange weather alert was declared in 23 departments due to gale-force winds. The cyclone rapidly intensified over the Atlantic and headed towards the British Isles and the French coast. Brittany was hit hardest overnight from Thursday to Friday, after which the hurricane-force winds shifted towards Normandy and the Hauts-de-France region.

Record wind gusts and massive outages

On the coast, gusts reached exceptionally high values: at the Pointe du Raz cape in the Finistère department, wind speed reached 161 km/h. Several weather stations recorded October record wind speeds. On Friday, about 161,000 households in the north-west — primarily in Brittany, Pays de la Loire and Normandy — were left without electricity. Fallen trees and difficult weather conditions disrupted rail operations: a number of routes were suspended for safety reasons, and several bridges in the Seine-Maritime department were closed.

Storm's movement towards the British Isles and Germany

According to the UK Met Office, which issued an 'amber' warning (the second most serious level) for Cornwall and Devon with gusts up to 130 km/h, the storm reached the territory of the United Kingdom on Friday morning. According to National Grid, by late morning more than 16,000 homes in the south-west of the country remained without electricity. During the day, gusts up to 100 km/h are expected in southern and central England as the storm moves east along the English Channel coast. In Germany, where the cyclone was given the name 'Louise' by the national weather service, gusts up to 100 km/h are expected in the west and north-west of the country. According to euronews forecasts, heavy rain and wind gusts exceeding 110 km/h are expected on Friday evening in southern England and Wales.

Aftermath of storm Adam and new cyclone Boelo

A few days earlier, southern France and Spain were hit by storm Adam with severe thunderstorms and torrential rain. The departments of Gard, Bouches-du-Rhône and Var were particularly affected by flooding. According to euronews, Adam claimed at least six lives in Spain and southern France, two of them in France; thousands of households faced power outages. At the end of the weekend, a second major storm — Boelo — is expected to bring new winds and heavy rain: the Met Office upgraded its warning for Northern Ireland, Scotland and part of northern England from 'yellow' to 'amber' for the night from Saturday to Sunday and throughout Sunday.