Europe was set to be buffeted by weather ranging from severe winds to snow and freezing temperatures with the arrival of Storm Goretti on Thursday, with forecasters issuing warnings from Britain to Germany.
Britain’s Met Office issued a “rare” red wind warning for the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall in southwestern England between 4pm and 11pm – its highest level of alert.
“Exceptionally strong winds” of up to 160km/h were expected, it said, warning that “very large waves will bring dangerous conditions to coastal areas”.
It also issued an amber snow warning in Wales, the Midlands and parts of northern England, predicting snow of up to 30cm in some areas.
The UK’s National Rail has said train services will be impacted over the next two days, and called on people to avoid travel unless necessary.
No disruptions to air travel from London had yet been announced.
School cancelled, travel disruption
France was also bracing for Goretti, which will bring gusts of up to 160km/h in the northern Manche department.
Schools will remain closed on Friday, and weather alerts have been issued in 30 other northwestern regions.
“Take shelter and do not use your vehicle,” the Manche prefecture warned on X, urging residents to prepare emergency lighting and a drinking water supply.
Europe’s current extreme weather conditions have caused at least eight deaths, and on Thursday police in the Albanian city of Durres pulled a man’s body from floodwater following days of heavy snow and torrential rain across the Balkans.
In Germany, heavy snow and winds in the north were set to affect schools, hospitals and transport links.
Up to 15cm of snow could fall in the north, and there was a risk of icy conditions in the south, according to the German Weather Service (DWD).
Temperatures this weekend could plunge to as low as -20C in certain areas, DWD meteorologist Andreas Walter told AFP.
Some areas have announced that schools will shut on Friday, including in the northern cities of Hamburg and Bremen.
In Hamburg, the weather had already caused delays and cancellations on the public transport network on Thursday.
The national rail company Deutsche Bahn warned of significant delays in the coming days and has mobilised more than 14,000 employees to clear snow from tracks and platforms.
Leading car manufacturer Volkswagen will shut its northwestern Emden factory on Friday due to the snow, spokesman Christian Schiebold told AFP.
‘Consequence of climate change’
The DWD says that the storm is expected to last until Saturday, with snowfall stopping on Monday.
Walter said the storm was an exception when compared to the past few years of milder winters, which were a “a consequence of climate change”.
“It’s still possible to have a cold month with snow, even as temperatures rise because of climate change, but such events will become rarer in the future,” he said.
The Norwegian Meteorological Institute, meanwhile, said there was only one region in Norway with temperatures above freezing on Thursday: the Arctic archipelago Svalbard.
– Agence France-Presse