With strong winds and heavy rains, Storm Ciaran lashed into northwestern Europe on Thursday. One death has been reported in France due to the heavy rains. In the wake of the heavy rains, schools, airports, railway and ferry services were stopped.
Reportedly, a truck driver was killed by a falling tree northeast of Paris. Also over a million French households were left without electricity. Flights from airports on Channel Islands of Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney were canceled as well.
Winds were hitting around 207 kph, therefore, authorities had urged people to stay inside their homes and avoid winds in the affected areas.
Storm Ciaran, which follows on the heels of Storm Babet two weeks ago, was driven by a powerful jet stream that swept in from the Atlantic. The furious winds and heavy rains accompanied with the storm already caused heavy flooding in Northern Ireland and parts of Britain.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) France's Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 1,315 people had to be relocated to camp sites or shelters, and several houses were evacuated in the Finistere city of Brest after a crane fell.
Still, the storm in France showed some signs of abating with the Meteo France weather service reducing its alert for strong winds in Mache, Finistere and Cotes d'Armor from red to orange.
Southern England was also badly affected with many schools closed and rescue operations ongoing to help those trapped in the winds.
Meanwhile, Britian's Met Office issued a yellow warning for London and southeast England.
In UK, transportation agencies advised residents in parts of southern England to stay home. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency urged people to keep away from the coast as well.
The Met Office, the government weather agency, issued amber warnings for high winds for parts of southern England. An amber warning is the second highest level of alert, meaning there is a danger to life from flying debris, reported The Associated Press.
