Storm Goretti hits north France: 213km/h winds, 380,000 without power
Authorities warn of flying debris and train services throughout north disrupted
Winds of 213 km/h were recorded in coastal Normandy last night, with trees in the region blown down
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Around 380,000 homes have been left without power this morning (January 9) after Storm Goretti battered the north of France overnight.
Winds of 213 km/h were recorded in the Manche department – far higher than initially forecast – and 148 km/h at the Eiffel Tower hundreds of kilometres inland, during the storm’s passage last night.
This remains 3 km/h short of Manche’s overall record, measured in 1987.
Of the homes suffering blackouts, more than 266,000 are in Normandy, with others in Brittany (21,000), the Picardy area (18,500) and Île-de-France capital region (13,500).
Despite the conditions, as of 08:00 today only two injuries have been reported, both in the Manche department. A 93-year-old woman and a gendarme officer were reported to have sustained light injuries due to the storm.
Following an update at 08:00, only two departments in the south-west remain on a heightened tier-three orange alert for strong winds. It shows an improvement from the 06:00 bulletin, which had 21 departments facing heightened alerts
“The worst of the storm has passed,” said colonel Alexandre Jouassard of the Sécurite Civil.
Travel disruptions set to continue
Several train services have been suspended in the north, including in Normandy where all trains were cancelled from 19:00 last night.
The SNCF said that now the storm has passed its peak, 260 staff are being deployed to comb the region’s railway lines for potential debris before routes restart later today, using special or unused regional trains.
Services are set to resume at 14:00 (16:00 in the Seine-Maritime).
“We've already found garden furniture, trampolines, and street furniture, so it's quite a wide range. It's not just trees; more generally, there can be all sorts of obstacles, and it's important for us to ensure the safety of train operations,” said head of SNCF Réseau operations in the region Sylvain About to FranceBleu.
Train services in Brittany, Hauts-de-France, and Île-de-France also face cancellations and delays, with travellers asked to check schedules before heading to stations.
Most cross-Channel ferry services remain running as scheduled today, particularly in the western part of the waterway. However, some Dover-Calais services have been cancelled.
All ferry services between mainland France and Corsica have been cancelled until Sunday as powerful winds remain in the area.
For drivers, the N13 is closed heading towards Cherbourg due to trees falling on the route.
As weather warnings remain in place, drivers are still advised to stay off the roads unless necessary, as the risk of falling trees or other debris remains with strong winds still hitting the impacted areas.
Damage from the storm has so far been limited outside of the powercuts, although some flooding was recorded in the Seine-Maritime department.
For people whose properties have been damaged during the storm, our article here provides advice on how to claim for damages.
Unlike damage from some other weather conditions, storm damage is not usually classed as a 'catastrophe naturelle' or natural disaster.
