A powerful storm system, named "Goretti" by Météo-France, moved across the United Kingdom and France on Friday, leaving downed trees and power cuts affecting nearly half a million customers.
The storm also spread snow across parts of Great Britain.
The worst of the 55,000 U.K. power outages were in the southwest at Cornwall, where 73 percent of National Grid U.K. power customers were without power as of Friday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.US.
A weather station at Padstow NCI in Cornwall recorded a wind gust of 123 mph (198 km/h). One man had his home's roof ripped off as hail and rain poured in through cracks in the walls. Off the southwest shore, a peak gust of 99 mph (159 km/h) was reported at St. Mary's on the Isles of Scilly, the highest there since 1991, the Met Office said.
To the southeast, a 121 mph (195 km/h) gust was measured at Barfleur, on the tip of France's Cotentin peninsula. Winds were even worse in Normandy, France, with a wind gust of 132 mph (212 km/h) recorded in Gatteville-le-Phare. At one point, more than 380,000 customers were without power in France.
The storm affected rail services in the English West Midlands, as well as trains in France and Germany.
Travel and school disruptions in Scotland from a storm earlier this week were extended by Friday's storm. The nation was hit with 20 inches (51 cm) of snow on Monday, and many schools shuttered again on Friday, wrapping up a full week of closures.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Israel says Iran's military industry will be destroyed 'within days' - 2New subclade K flu strain raises concerns: What families should know
- 3Nutrient Rich Organic products: Lift Your Wellbeing
- 4Ukraine's naval drones are gunning for Russia's 'shadow fleet.' A security source says a tanker just suffered a critical hit.
- 5The biggest black hole breakthroughs of 2025
- Most normal matter in the universe isn't found in planets, stars or galaxies – an astronomer explains where it's distributed
- Instructions to Upgrade the Mechanical Highlights of Your Shrewd Bed for a Superior Night's Rest
- Get away from the Tedious Drudgery: Go into Business Today!
- Tanzania president remorseful over internet shutdown on election day
- Nitty gritty Manual for Picking Agreeable Tennis shoes
- There are thousands of aligned holes in Peru. Archaeologists now think they know who made them
- Building an Individual Brand: Illustrations from Forces to be reckoned with
- No injuries after blast at pro-Israel centre in the Netherlands
- Vote in favor of Your #1 4\u00d74 SUVs
