Fierce Cyclone “Ciaran” hits France and Great Britain

Due to Cyclone Ciaran, more than a million homes are without power in France and at least one person has died. The first damage was also reported in England. The storm should then reach Germany in a weakened state.

Cyclone Ciaran has hit northwestern France with severe storms. Roads and rail lines were blocked by fallen trees. Energy Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher announced this morning that 1.2 million homes in France are without electricity. Technicians are busy repairing the supply. According to the electricity company Enedis, 780,000 of the affected households are in Brittany. 3,000 technicians are employed.

Hundreds of firefighters are also on the job. In the Aisne department, northeast of Paris, a truck driver died overnight after his vehicle crashed into a fallen tree, Transport Minister Clement Buon told France News Agency. A large number of fallen trees blocked rural roads in the department in the morning. Local winds were gusting to 200 kilometers per hour.

21 meter high tide

As a precaution, individual cities evacuated areas directly on the coast. A wave height of 21 meters was measured off the Finistère department. There is a risk of flooding from storm surges along the Atlantic coast, north coast and eastern Mediterranean coast into the evening. Officials have issued an emergency warning about the storm. Communities near the coast on Wednesday reinforced dams and set up additional barriers.

A more severe weather warning level, red, remains in effect in two sectors, while a warning level, orange, continues to apply in the other 24 sectors. Train services are largely suspended today in Brittany, Normandy, Pays de Loire, Hauts de France and Center Val de Loire. Regional train services were also affected due to falling trees in the Paris area. Strong winds from Cyclone Emir, known internationally as Ciaran, are expected to cross France by midnight.

The storm also hits the coast of England deeply

“Ciaran” also hit the south-west of England and the Channel Islands overnight. Wind gusts were measured at 164 km/h on the island of Jersey, according to police. “Please stay indoors. It is too dangerous to be outside,” said a statement from Jersey Police. About 40 people were evacuated from their homes overnight due to storm damage, police said.

The media reported covered roofs and fallen trees. Air traffic to Jersey was suspended and schools were closed. People on England’s south coast also braced for stricter restrictions due to the storm. Hundreds of schools were closed in Cornwall and Devon. 6,000 homes are reported to be without power in Devon. The storm was expected to cause further damage along the UK coast during the day.

Many train operators in the Greater London area are urging people to make only essential journeys. Eurostar, the railway company that provides links from mainland Europe to Great Britain, said it expected disruption and slow journeys. Many ferry companies have canceled English Channel services today. Coastal flooding is expected. The British Coast Guard warned people not to stay close to shore.

Runners are also expected in Germany

Storm and gale force winds of up to 120 kilometers per hour are possible along the Belgian and Dutch North Sea coasts. In Belgium, the weather service announced an orange warning level for the Flemish coast and a yellow warning level for the rest of the country. The cities of Brussels, Antwerp and Liège closed parks to the public.

According to the German Weather Service (DWD), Germany will only reach hurricane depth in its weakest form. In North Rhine-Westphalia, firefighters and police are already on the job due to fallen trees. There were disruptions to rail and roads in North Rhine-Westphalia. Winds of more than 100 kilometers per hour were measured in the Eifel in the morning.