Storm Goretti Batters Europe With Violent Winds, Power Cuts

Storm Goretti lashed England and France with hurricane-force winds, causing widespread disruption as it swept through northwest Europe and cut power to hundreds of thousands of homes.

Amber and yellow warnings were in place for parts of the U.K., France and the Netherlands on Friday, while Germany’s DWD issued a red alert for snowfall. The storm could dump as much as 30 centimeters (12 inches) of snow across western and central England, the U.K.’s Met Office said.

The winter storm slammed a region already battered by an Arctic blast that has driven temperatures across northern and central Europe far below normal, roiling power markets with surging heating demand.

Goretti may also disrupt operations at the U.K.’s Milford Haven port, home to two liquefied natural gas import terminals. One LNG tanker originally scheduled to arrive on Thursday was still waiting in a safe area outside the port, according to Bloomberg ship-tracking data. The port now signals Friday as the expected arrival date.

Airports in Hamburg and Prague reported cancellations and delays due to the storm, and Lufthansa canceled some European flights ahead of the storm. Northern Germany and the Hamburg area have received more snowfall in the last few days than in the past 15 years, according to local officials. A limited number of flights have resumed at Birmingham Airport in the U.K., which was closed Thursday night.

While the worst of the storm is expected to recede later today, gusts reached 159 kilometers (99 miles) per hour at a monitoring station on the Isles of Scilly — a record high and equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane. Winds hit 148 kilometers per hour in Normandy, while gusts of 146 kilometers per hour were recorded at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, according to Météo France and La Chaîne Météo.

U.K. forecasters issued rare red warnings ahead of the storm, urging people to stay indoors. The Met Office last issued such an alert in January 2025. Meanwhile, Météo France warned gusts could exceed 200 kilometers per hour in areas exposed to the Atlantic.

Output at the Flamanville nuclear plant was reduced because of the storm, according to operator Electricite de France SA.

Goretti also knocked out power to about 380,000 households in France, mostly in Normandy, Brittany and Picardy, as well as around Paris, France Info radio reported, citing power distributor Enedis. Thousands of technicians are working to restore the network. Schools and other educational institutions were closed in the Manche and Seine-Maritime departments.

Almost 65,000 U.K. homes were also without power as of Friday morning, according to the nation’s Energy Networks Association.

French rail operator SNCF canceled more than a dozen trains, including several departing Paris, but expects services to resume later Friday. Some lines in the greater Paris area were halted after trees fell on the tracks. In the U.K., National Rail warned of widespread disruptions in the coming days and urged people to avoid unnecessary travel.

Top photo: Workers clear snow on the platform in Buxton, U.K., on Jan. 9. Photographer: Anthony Devlin/Bloomberg.