Hundreds of thousands left without power as Storm Goretti hits Europe

2026-01-09 14:47:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Strong winds battered France and Britain on Friday, as Storm Goretti battered Northern Europe, leaving hundreds of thousands of households without power as freezing temperatures gripped the region.

Meteorologists from Britain to Germany urged citizens to stay indoors, while issuing severe weather warnings, including a red wind alert - the highest level of danger that is rarely issued - for the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall in southwest England.

In France, nearly 380,000 households were left without power, the vast majority in the northern region of Normandy, energy distribution company Enedis said, while the BBC reported that about 65,000 households were left without power.

Overnight, winds of 216 and 213 kilometers per hour were recorded in the northwestern French region of Manche, authorities said.

The storm has caused trees to fall in several regions and in at least one case, a tree fell on a residential building, but there were no injuries, authorities in France said.

Winds of up to 160 kilometres per hour are expected in some parts of Britain and "very large waves will create dangerous conditions in coastal areas", the British Meteorological Service said.

The service issued an orange alert for snowfall in Wales, Central England and parts of northern England, predicting up to 30 centimetres of snow in some areas.

The British rail service has announced that train traffic will be affected over the next two days and has urged citizens to avoid travel, except in essential cases.

Schools remain closed in northern France, where severe weather warnings have been issued in 30 other regions.

"Take shelter and do not use vehicles," authorities in La Mancha said on Thursday, urging residents to prepare water supplies and secure flashlights.

The current extreme weather conditions in Europe have claimed at least eight lives, and on Thursday police in Durres, Albania, pulled the body of a man from floodwaters, days after torrential rains and snowfall hit the Balkans. In Kosovo, flooding has caused damage in several areas, but there have been no fatalities.

In Germany, snowfall and winds in the north are expected to impact schools, hospitals and transport links.

According to the German Meteorological Service, up to 15 centimeters of snow could fall in the north of the country, while there is a risk of frost in the south.

Temperatures over the weekend could reach as low as -20 degrees Celsius, the German Meteorological Service told AFP.

Several areas have announced school closures on Friday, including in Hamburg and Bremen.

In Hamburg, the weather caused delays and cancellations on the public transport network on Thursday.

National rail company Deutsche Bahn warned of significant delays in the coming days and said it had mobilized more than 14,000 employees to clear snow from tracks and railway platforms.

The German Meteorological Service said the storm is expected to last until Saturday, with snowfall expected to stop on Monday.

Meteorologist Walter said this storm is an exception compared to recent years with milder winters, which are "a consequence of climate change."

The service said that there is still a chance that the entire month will be cold and snowy, even though temperatures are rising due to climate change./ Rel