Storm Goretti cuts power and disrupts travel across parts of Europe

The Hindu
The Hindu
6h ago
Storm Goretti brought fierce winds and snow to parts of Europe, cutting power to hundreds of thousands of households and prompting weather warnings and travel disruption.
Storm Goretti cuts power and disrupts travel across parts of Europe
A What happened
Storm Goretti battered France and Britain in plunging winter temperatures, cutting power to about 380,000 households in France and about 65,000 households in Britain. Authorities in France recorded wind gusts of 216 and 213 km/h in the Manche region, and squalls felled trees, including at least one that hit residential buildings in Seine-Maritime without injuries. Britain’s Met Office issued a red wind alert for the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall and an amber snow warning for parts of England and Wales, with up to 30 cm of snow predicted in some areas. In Germany, heavy snow and winds were expected to affect schools, hospitals, and transport links, and Deutsche Bahn mobilised more than 14,000 employees to clear snow from tracks and platforms.

Key insights

  • 1

    Authorities urged people to shelter and limit travel: Forecasters issued weather warnings across multiple countries, the Manche prefecture told residents to take shelter and avoid using vehicles, and the U.K.’s National Rail urged people to avoid travel unless necessary.

  • 2

    German meteorologist linked recent milder winters to climate change: Andreas Walter said recent milder winters were a consequence of climate change and said cold, snowy events like this would become rarer in the future even as temperatures rise.

Takeaways

Storm Goretti caused widespread power outages and major weather warnings across parts of Europe, with snow and wind expected to continue into the following days.

Topics

Climate & Environment Climate Change Natural Disasters Law & Public Safety Public Safety

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