STORM GORETTI caused power cuts and travel disruption across parts of the UK on Friday, as strong winds and snow followed a week of freezing weather.
About 60,000 homes in Scotland and central England lost electricity after the storm hit Britain on Thursday before moving east into continental Europe.
In the English West Midlands, some rail services were suspended as snow covered the region, and residents were advised to stay at home if possible.
"It's been quite a few years ... you get a bit of this (snow) and everything seems to stop," said Wolverhampton resident David Goldstone, 86.
Pedestrians struggled with shopping trolleys and slush.
"We're just not used to it, are we?" said another local, Tracy Wilks, 53.
Across Europe, around 380,000 households lost electricity in France, mainly in Normandy and Brittany. By midday, about 60,000 had been reconnected. In the Netherlands, flights were cancelled as snowfall was expected to return after a one-day lull.
Winds of more than 150 kph were recorded overnight in France’s Manche region, with a record 213 kph in Barfleur. The SNCF rail operator suspended services between Paris and Normandy.
French state energy company EDF said two reactors at the Flamanville power station were taken offline after a high-voltage line was disrupted. Roofs were torn off and trees uprooted. Wholesale power prices rose across western Europe.
In northern Germany, Deutsche Bahn halted long-distance train services until further notice, calling it one of the most severe winter weather events in recent years.
"So far, we have been able to avoid situations where passengers are left stranded on the open track for long periods," a spokesperson told reporters at Berlin’s central station, adding that crews were clearing tracks.
At Hamburg Airport, about 40 flights were cancelled. A Bundesliga match between St Pauli and RB Leipzig scheduled for Saturday was postponed. Volkswagen closed its Wolfsburg plant early on Friday, while a second plant in Emden remained closed.
Dutch airline KLM said it cancelled 80 flights to and from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on Friday. Schiphol had already cancelled hundreds of flights earlier in the week due to freezing weather.
In Hungary, the military was deployed to help motorists trapped in snow. Western Balkan countries have reported disruption since Sunday. On Thursday, one person was found dead in Albania after flooding, while strong winds damaged roofs in northeast Turkey.
(With inputs from agencies)
