Storm Goretti blacks out homes and disrupts travel across northern Europe
Written by: Dominique Vidalon, Sarah Young and Miranda Murray
PARIS/LONDON/BERLIN, Jan 9 (Reuters) – Thousands of homes were blacked out, planes were grounded and train services were disrupted on Friday as Storm Goretti dumped strong winds and heavy snow on northern Europe and a week of freezing weather conditions.
The storm hit Britain on Thursday before moving eastwards towards the European continent. In snow-covered Germany, the state railway described it as one of the most severe weather events in recent years.
Around 380,000 households lost power in France, mainly in Normandy and Brittany, but by midday around 60,000 were reconnected and 60,000 homes in Scotland and central England suffered the same fate.
FLIGHTS WERE CANCELED
Flights were canceled in the Netherlands due to the resumption of heavy snowfall after a one-day break.
Winds of over 150 km/h (93 mph) were recorded overnight in the Manche region of northwestern France; At Barfleur, a record speed of 213 km/h was recorded, forcing the SNCF rail operator to suspend services between Paris and Normandy.
French state power company EDF said Storm Goretti required the decommissioning of two reactors at the Flamanville power station after a high-voltage line was cut, roofs were blown off and trees were uprooted. Wholesale energy prices increased in Western Europe.
In England’s West Midlands, some rail services were suspended and residents were advised to stay at home if possible as thick snow blanketed the area.
Wolverhampton resident David Goldstone, 86, said: “It’s been a few years now… it’s been snowing a bit and everything seems to have stopped.”
Pedestrians struggled with shopping carts and piles of slush.
“We’re not used to this, are we?” said Tracy Wilks, 53, another local.
FLIGHTS IN FROZEN AIRPORTS
In northern Germany, state-owned Deutsche Bahn suspended long-distance train services until further notice, citing one of the most severe winter weather events in many years.
“So far we have managed to avoid situations where passengers are stranded on the open road for long periods of time,” a spokesman told reporters at Berlin central station, adding that crews were working to clear the tracks.
While approximately 40 flights were canceled at Hamburg Airport, the busiest air terminal in Northern Germany, the Bundesliga football match between St Pauli in Hamburg and RB Leipzig, planned for Saturday, was also postponed. German automaker Volkswagen closed its facility in Wolfsburg early on Friday, while a facility in Emden also remained closed.
Dutch airline KLM said it canceled 80 flights to and from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport on Friday. Schiphol canceled hundreds of flights due to freezing weather earlier this week.
The army was called in to help drivers stranded in heavy snow in Hungary.
Western Balkan countries have experienced widespread disruption since Sunday. On Thursday, one person was found dead in severe flood-hit Albania, while storms blew off roofs in northeastern Türkiye.
(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon in Paris, Sarah Young in London; Miranda Murray and Klaus Lauer in Berlin, Charlotte Van Campenhout in Amsterdam and Anita Komuves in Budapest; Writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Alex Richardson and Kevin Liffey)
