Storm Goretti batters Northern Europe, cutting power and halting travel

The storm first struck Britain on Thursday before moving eastward into continental Europe. In Germany, where snow blanketed much of the country, the national railway described it as one of the most extreme weather events in recent years.

Power outages across multiple countries

In France, about 380,000 households lost electricity, particularly in Normandy and Brittany. By midday, 60,000 had been reconnected.

France’s state energy company EDF reported that two reactors at the Flamanville nuclear power station were taken offline after a high-voltage line was damaged.

Scotland and central England saw around 60,000 homes affected by outages.

Travel chaos

Winds exceeding 150 kph were recorded in France’s Manche region, with a record 213 kph in Barfleur. Rail operator SNCF suspended services between Paris and Normandy.

In the Netherlands, flights were canceled as heavy snow returned after a brief lull. Dutch airline KLM cancelled 80 flights to and from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, which had already grounded hundreds earlier in the week.

In Britain’s West Midlands, rail services were suspended as thick snow covered the region, with residents urged to stay home.

Germany’s Deutsche Bahn halted all long-distance train services in the north. Hamburg Airport cancelled about 40 flights, while a Bundesliga match between St-Pauli and RB Leipzig was postponed. Volkswagen closed its Wolfsburg plant early, with another facility in Emden remaining shut.

Wider impact

In Hungary, the military was deployed to help motorists stranded in snow.

Across the Western Balkans, severe weather has caused widespread disruption since Sunday.

Albania reported one fatality linked to flooding, while in northeast Türkiye, strong winds tore roofs from buildings.

Earlier, it was reported that red alerts had been issued as Storm Goretti gripped Europe amid extreme cold.