Storm Ciarán turns deadly in northern Europe, as 100-mph winds knock out power for millions
The storm, which has shattered numerous wind and pressure records, is the first of two powerful systems expected to impact the continent into this weekend.
Storm Ciarán brought windy and rainy conditions to western Europe on Nov. 2. The storm brought structural and tree damage in England, France and even the Channel Islands south of the British Isles.
The season's most powerful windstorm to date, Storm Ciarán, socked northwestern Europe this week with heavy rain, pounding waves and damaging winds that left at least nine people dead and others injured.
According to AccuWeather's team of international forecasters, this was just the first of two powerful storms expected to impact the continent through the weekend.
France, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom were among the countries impacted by the storm, which produced wind gusts of over 100 mph (160 km/h) and offshore waves that were nearly 70 feet (21 meters) high. At the height of the storm, over a million people were without power, with northwestern France among the worst-hit locations from the storm.
Ciarán leaves a trail of destruction, especially in France
After rapidly intensifying over the northern Atlantic Ocean before approaching on Wednesday, the storm, known as Celine in France, had moved fully north of Europe as of early Sunday morning, local time.
Earlier on Wednesday night and into Thursday, the storm's impacts had escalated to peak levels. France, particularly the northwesternmost region of Brittany, was especially hard hit by the storm, as hundreds of videos and photos of storm damage were posted to social media on Wednesday and Thursday.
Numerous trees were knocked down, cutting power to 1.2 million people in France, according to CNN. The strong winds led to wide-ranging impacts to daily life, including interruptions to train service and the shuttering of hundreds of schools.
At least nine fatalities have been blamed on the storm, according to various sources, occurring in Belgium, France and Italy.
Emergency responders rescued two tourists from Storm Ciarán’s rising floodwaters in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy, on Nov. 3.
In Roubaix, France, 15 people were reportedly injured by the strong winds, one seriously; that number also included seven firefighters.
There was an unofficial report of a wind gust of 129 mph (207 km/h) at Finistère on the far northwestern coast of France. Officially, a reading of 114 mph (183 km/h) occurred nearby on the island of Ushant.
According to French news service La Chaîne Info (LCI), the strong winds in northwestern France broke a few local wind records. At Lanvéoc, a gust of 106 mph (171 km/h) was reported, breaking the previous record of 101 mph (162 km/h) from 1987. A record was also set at Brest, where a 97-mph (156 km/h) wind gust was clocked and a crane was knocked over.
"All stations [in far northwestern France] exceeded 130 km/h (81 mph), more than 80% exceeded 150 km/h (93 mph)," an official at the Keraunos Observatory in Finistère told LCI.
Sand can be seen being blown by high winds from Storm Ciarán from the shores of the Netherlands on Nov. 2. One fatality was reported in the country due to a fallen tree in the town of Venray.
Offshore, the storm generated tremendous wave action. LCI also reported a 69-foot (21.1 m) high wave at the Pierres Noires buoy offshore of Brittany. That corresponds to the height of a six-story-tall building.
The impacts from Storm Ciarán were not limited to just France, as the southern portion of the U.K. and the Channel Islands also experienced heavy rain and strong winds. A likely tornado even hit the island of Jersey, badly damaging homes and cars, as shown by videos posted to X.
Noteworthy because of its low central atmospheric pressure, the storm also shattered low-pressure records for the month of November in parts of the U.K. The country's Met Office said that with a value of 953.3 millibars (28.15 inches of mercury) at Plymouth and 958.5 mb (28.30 in mercury) in St. Athan, new records were established for the month in both England and Wales, with the English record having stood for more than 100 years, since 1916.
A man saws a tree that fell on a parking lot Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023 in Hasparren, southwestern France. Winds up to 180 kilometers per hour (108 mph) slammed the French Atlantic coast overnight along with violent rains and huge waves, as Storm Ciaran uprooted trees, blew out windows and left 1.2 million households without electricity. (AP Photo/Bob Edme)
Another powerful windstorm on deck for Europe
While the cleanup from Storm Ciarán will just be beginning in the region late this week, another storm will be approaching from the Atlantic, warn AccuWeather meteorologists.
"A new storm will follow on the heels of Ciarán through Sunday," said Nicholls. "The heaviest rain and strongest winds are again expected to impact France and the northern Iberian Peninsula."
The Iberian Peninsula is a region of southwestern Europe that includes the entirety of Portugal and Spain, as well as a portion of far southern France.
The next storm affecting Europe through this weekend, as seen on AccuWeather RealVue™ Enhanced Satellite on Saturday evening, local time, Nov. 4, 2023.
The storm will again impact Ireland and the U.K., where it will be called Debi. In France, the storm would take on the name Domingos.
While the winds expected from the second storm may not be record-challenging, they will be strong enough to threaten more damage and transportation impacts. The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ for wind from the next storm is 100 mph (about 160 km/h).
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