The hurricane “Ciaràn” hit the northwest of France as well as the southwest of England and the Channel Islands on Thursday night. In France there was one death and four injured. Around 1.2 million households were without power, and fallen trees blocked roads and railway lines.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said there was significant damage to property, including roofs. More than 1,300 people were brought to safety. Fire departments responded to around 1,900 missions. Tens of thousands of people were also cut off from mobile communications.
There is a risk of flooding from storm waves on the Atlantic coast and the northern coast of France until the evening. A truck driver died when his vehicle was hit by a falling tree, and a car driver was slightly injured by a tree. Three firefighters also suffered minor injuries. Gusts of wind locally reached speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour. A 21-meter-high storm wave was measured off the Finistère department in Brittany – the westernmost continental tip of France.
Jersey Police: “Please stay indoors”
According to police, wind speeds of up to 164 kilometers per hour were measured on the island of Jersey in the southwestern English Channel. “Please stay indoors. It is very dangerous out there,” said a statement from Jersey Police. Media reported covered roofs and fallen trees.
People on the south coast of England also prepared for severe restrictions due to the storm. Hundreds of schools in Cornwall and Devon remained closed. It was reported that 6,000 homes in Devon were without power. Several train operators in the Greater London area called on people to only make essential journeys.
Because of the approaching storm, hundreds of flights were canceled in the Netherlands, including to Germany. A spokesman for Amsterdam Airport Schiphol announced this on Thursday. Because of the expected strong gusts of wind, shipping from the North Sea to the Westerschelde in the southwest of the country was also stopped. Also, some ferries to Wadden Sea islands cannot operate. The Meteorological Service declared the second-highest orange alert level for the southwestern province of Zeeland and the regions on the North Sea coast. Some schools remained closed as a precaution.
Storm warning for parts of the North Sea coast
The German Weather Service issued a storm warning for parts of the North Sea coast and a strong wind warning for parts of the Baltic Sea coast. Gusts of up to 90 kilometers per hour are expected by midday. On the North Sea, East Frisia and Helgoland are particularly affected. Strong winds are expected to remain strong for the most part on the Baltic Sea, but stronger gusts of wind can be expected from Flensburg to Fehmarn and on Rügen.
The first fallen trees affected train traffic in North Rhine-Westphalia on Thursday morning. The regions of Euskirchen, Remscheid, Mönchengladbach/Viersen and Dorsten were affected.
A young woman was fatally injured by a falling tree on Rammelsberg in the Harz Mountains in Lower Saxony. The Goslar district fire brigade association said the reason was the storm, which was significantly stronger than expected.
