Storm Goretti struck northern Europe on Friday, causing widespread power outages, flight cancellations and rail disruptions across France, Britain and Germany.
Wind gusts reached 99 mph (159 km/h) at St Mary’s Airport in the Isles of Scilly, setting a historic record for the area, according to the UK Met Office. Although the red warning for strong winds covering Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has now expired, the storm’s impact remains extensive.
Birmingham Airport suspended runway operations due to heavy snowfall, whilst dozens of schools in the Midlands and Wales will remain closed as new heavy snowfall is expected.
The storm left approximately 380,000 homes without power in France, mainly in Normandy and Brittany, whilst 57,000 homes in Scotland and central England areas lost power as schools remained closed. In the Netherlands, flights were cancelled due to heavy snowfall after a day’s respite.
A German official said the storm was one of the most severe in recent years in the region.
In northern France, winds exceeded 150 km/h, with a record 213 km/h recorded in Barfleur, forcing rail operator SNCF to suspend services between Paris and Normandy. State energy company EDF reported that the storm affected electricity production at the Flamanville nuclear station, with reactors 1 and 3 taken offline due to a high voltage disruption.
In Germany, Deutsche Bahn suspended long-distance services and warned passengers not to travel as the storm continues to batter the country. Approximately 40 flights were cancelled at Hamburg Airport, whilst in the Netherlands KLM cancelled 80 flights to and from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.
