Storm Ciaran has smashed into northern Europe and the UK with strong winds and driving rain, killing one person in France and forcing the closure of airports, rail and ferry services, and schools.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A truck driver was killed by a falling tree northeast of Paris and 1.2 million households in France were left without electricity.
Authorities in Finistere, Brittany, urged people to stay at home and avoid winds which were hitting 207km/h, leading to reports of 20 metre waves off the coast.
"I repeat: stay at home," local prefect Alain Espinasse told RTL radio.
Storm Ciaran, which follows on the heels of Storm Babet two weeks ago, was driven by a powerful jet stream that swept in from the Atlantic, unleashing heavy rain and furious winds that have already caused heavy flooding in Northern Ireland.
In Britain, the Channel Islands were among the worst hit areas, with the BBC reporting that windows had been blown in and one roof ripped off a house on Jersey, forcing families to move into nearby hotels.
Southern England was also badly affected, with many schools closed and the rescue charity that saves lives at sea urging people to avoid the coast.
"This rough weather could make visiting our coasts around southern England and Wales treacherous and bring very dangerous sea conditions," Ross Macleod of the RNLI said.
The Environment Agency issued 54 flood warnings issued for the UK with a further 134 alerts in place for possible flooding.
Transport agencies agencies also advised residents in parts of southern England to stay home and not travel. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency urged people to keep away from the coast.
"Stay out of dangerous situations,'' the agency said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. ''A selfie in stormy conditions isn't worth risking your life for.''
Britain's Met Office said Storm Ciaran was a "fairly normal" Autumn storm but said under certain climate projections the frequency and intensity of such storms in the British winter could slightly increase.
Dutch airline KLM said it had also scrapped dozens of flights to and from Amsterdam Schiphol airport on Thursday.
with DPA, AP and Reuters
Australian Associated Press
