Storm Goretti tore across France, Britain and parts of northern Europe on Friday, unleashing ferocious winds, towering waves and widespread disruption that left
hundreds of thousands of households without electricity and brought transport networks to a standstill.
In France alone, around 380,000 homes were plunged into darkness after power lines were damaged by violent gusts, according to electricity distributor Enedis. The worst-hit area was Normandy, where the storm made landfall with exceptional force. In Britain, the National Grid reported that at least 42,000 homes lost power in southwest England, with further outages recorded elsewhere.
Winds reached extreme levels overnight, with gusts of up to 216 kilometres per hour measured in France’s Manche region. Trees were uprooted across several departments, some crashing into residential buildings in Seine-Maritime, though authorities said no injuries were reported.
The storm also battered Britain, where gusts of up to 160 kph swept across England and Wales. The UK Met Office issued rare red wind warnings for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, urging residents to remain indoors as “very large waves” created dangerous conditions along exposed coastlines. Amber snow warnings were also in place for Wales, central England and parts of northern England, with forecasts of up to 30 centimetres of snowfall in some areas.
Rail travel was heavily disrupted. National Rail warned passengers that services would be affected for at least two days and advised against non-essential journeys. Schools were closed in several regions on both sides of the Channel as authorities sought to limit travel during the worst of the storm.
In northern France, schools remained shut in multiple departments, while weather alerts were active in at least 30 regions nationwide. Local police in the Manche department urged residents to take shelter, avoid driving and prepare emergency supplies. Along the country’s far northwestern coast, giant waves crashed over harbour walls, flooding roads and forcing the closure of ports, including Dieppe.
The impact of severe winter weather extended well beyond France and the UK. In Scotland, hundreds of schools stayed closed for a fifth consecutive day, leaving many pupils yet to return after the Christmas holidays. In Germany, another storm system, named Elli, brought heavy snow and high winds to the north, prompting school closures in Hamburg and Bremen and the cancellation of long-distance rail services. Forecasters warned of up to 15 centimetres of snow in northern regions and dangerous icy conditions further south.
Across Europe, the week of extreme weather has proved deadly. At least eight people have died in weather-related incidents, including a man whose body was recovered from floodwaters in the Albanian city of Durrës following days of heavy rain and snow across the Balkans.
Meteorologists say such intense winter storms stand out against a recent backdrop of milder winters. Andreas Walter of the German Weather Service noted that while cold and snowy periods remain possible, climate change is expected to make such events increasingly rare in the years ahead.
Meanwhile, wintry conditions also disrupted transport in Russia, where around 300 flights were cancelled in the Moscow region as crews worked to clear runways and de-ice aircraft.
As Storm Goretti continues its eastward path, authorities across Europe remain on high alert, warning that further disruption is likely before conditions finally begin to ease. Photo by Adbar, Wikimedia commons.