Bomb cyclone Storm Ciarán kills 14 as it slams Europe with hurricane-force winds, extreme flooding
At least 14 are dead after wind gusts reached 129 mph in France and flash flooding was reported in Italy. Storm Ciarán explosively developed through the day Wednesday, tapping into a robust jet stream that stretched from New England across the North Atlantic Ocean.
Historic Storm Ciarán slams Europe
Ferocious bomb cyclone Storm Ciarán slammed parts of France and England Thursday with hurricane-force winds topping 100 mph in several locations.
PARIS – Ferocious bomb cyclone Storm Ciarán slammed parts much of Europe Thursday with hurricane-force winds topping 100 mph in several locations, leaving at least 14 dead and over a million power outages across the European continent.
Reuters reported a truck driver died just outside of Paris when a tree fell into his vehicle, while another died in Le Havre. According to the Associated Press, police said one person in Albania was killed on Friday when he lost control while driving his car.
Across the Adriatic Sea into Italy, at least six people died after floodwaters quickly rose in the Tuscany region.
The storm left at least 16 others injured in France, according to Gerald Darmanin, France's Minister of the Interior. One of the injuries was reported as serious, while the other 15 were minor injuries, Darmanin posted. Seven of the injured were firefighters, officials said.
Damaging wind gusts even reached other nearby nations, where five others died in storm-related deaths, including two in Belgium and one each in Spain and the Netherlands, Reuters reported. Another death was reported in Germany.
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Image 1 of 11A car drives along a flooded road in Romsey, southern England, on November 2, 2023 as strong winds and heavy rain from Storm Ciaran hits Britain. High winds and heavy rain brought by storm Ciaran caused major disruption in southern England on November 2, 2023, with shipping from the port of Dover suspended for several hours and hundreds of schools closed. Winds of up to 100/110 km/h were expected in the morning, and up to 100 km/h in the afternoon, according to the weather forecast on the British government website. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP) (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 2 of 11This photograph shows damaged on the warehouse of a wintering company in Belval, near Coutance, northwestern France, on November 2, 2023, as the storm Ciaran hits the region. Storm Ciaran battered northern France with record winds of nearly 200 km per hour killing a lorry driver as southern England remained on high alert Thursday and rail operators in several countries warned of traffic disruptions. Some 1.2 million homes lost electricity overnight as the storm lashed France's northwest coast, ripping trees out of the ground. (Photo by Lou Benoist / AFP) (Photo by LOU BENOIST/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 3 of 11This photograph shows a broken construction crane, in Brest, western France, on November 2, 2023, as the storm Ciaran hits the region. Storm Ciaran battered northern France with record winds of nearly 200 km per hour killing a lorry driver as southern England remained on high alert Thursday and rail operators in several countries warned of traffic disruptions. Some 1.2 million homes lost electricity overnight as the storm lashed France's northwest coast, ripping trees out of the ground. (Photo by DAMIEN MEYER / AFP) (Photo by DAMIEN MEYER/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
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Image 4 of 11BURTON BRADSTOCK, DORSET - NOVEMBER 02: Fire and rescue officers search for people in need of rescue from their holiday chalets at Freshwater Beach Holiday Park, on November 02, 2023 in Burton Bradstock, Dorset. Storm Ciaran swept across the southwest and south of England overnight posing a formidable threat in certain areas such as Jersey, where winds exceeded 100 mph overnight. This, along with the already-soaked ground from Storm Babet, increases the risk of flooding in already vulnerable areas. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 5 of 11WEST BAY, DORSET - NOVEMBER 02: Waves crash on to the beach and cliffs, on November 02, 2023 in West Bay, Dorset. Storm Ciaran swept across the southwest and south of England overnight posing a formidable threat in certain areas such as Jersey, where winds exceeded 100 mph overnight. This, along with the already-soaked ground from Storm Babet, increases the risk of flooding in already vulnerable areas. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 6 of 11BURTON BRADSTOCK, DORSET - NOVEMBER 02: Fire and rescue officers search for people in need of rescue from their holiday chalets at Freshwater Beach Holiday Park, on November 02, 2023 in Burton Bradstock, Dorset. Storm Ciaran swept across the southwest and south of England overnight posing a formidable threat in certain areas such as Jersey, where winds exceeded 100 mph overnight. This, along with the already-soaked ground from Storm Babet, increases the risk of flooding in already vulnerable areas. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 7 of 11BURTON BRADSTOCK, DORSET - NOVEMBER 02: People are rescued from their holiday chalets by fire and rescue at Freshwater Beach Holiday Park, on November 02, 2023 in Burton Bradstock, Dorset. Storm Ciaran swept across the southwest and south of England overnight posing a formidable threat in certain areas such as Jersey, where winds exceeded 100 mph overnight. This, along with the already-soaked ground from Storm Babet, increases the risk of flooding in already vulnerable areas. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 8 of 11WEST BAY, DORSET - NOVEMBER 02: A person and their dog watch the waves, on November 02, 2023 in West Bay, Dorset. Storm Ciaran swept across the southwest and south of England overnight posing a formidable threat in certain areas such as Jersey, where winds exceeded 100 mph overnight. This, along with the already-soaked ground from Storm Babet, increases the risk of flooding in already vulnerable areas. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images) ( )
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Image 9 of 11A pedestrian walks past a tree which felt on a car, in Brest, western France, on November 2, 2023, as the storm Ciaran hits the region. Storm Ciaran battered northern France with record winds of nearly 200 km per hour killing a lorry driver as southern England remained on high alert Thursday and rail operators in several countries warned of traffic disruptions. Some 1.2 million homes lost electricity overnight as the storm lashed France's northwest coast, ripping trees out of the ground. (Photo by DAMIEN MEYER / AFP) (Photo by DAMIEN MEYER/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
![This photograph shows foam in the street of Penmarc'h, western France, on November 2, 2023, as the storm Ciaran hits the region. Much of northwestern Europe went on high alert on November 1, 2023 as a storm dubbed Ciaran threatened to bring gale-force winds and extreme rainfall to the region.]()
Image 10 of 11This photograph shows foam in the street of Penmarc'h, western France, on November 2, 2023, as the storm Ciaran hits the region. Much of northwestern Europe went on high alert on November 1, 2023 as a storm dubbed Ciaran threatened to bring gale-force winds and extreme rainfall to the region. (FRED TANNEAU / AFP)
![Storm Ciaran Damage]()
Image 11 of 11Workers cut down a fallen tree in front of one of La Rochelle's towers in La Rochelle, center western France on November 2, 2023, as the storm Ciaran hits the region. Much of northwestern Europe went on high alert on November 1, 2023 as a storm dubbed Ciaran threatened to bring gale-force winds and extreme rainfall to the region. (Photo by YOHAN BONNET / AFP) (Photo by YOHAN BONNET/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
Wildfire in eastern Spain forces hundreds to evacuate due to strong winds
A wildfire, fueled by winds from Ciarán, has ravaged nearly 5,000 acres of land in eastern Spain, leading to the evacuation of 850 people from four towns.
The fire started on Thursday, and about 200 firefighters, along with an army emergency unit of soldiers, were deployed on Friday to tackle the blaze.
Unfortunately, the heavy rain and gale-force winds from Ciarán did not aid in the efforts to prevent the wildfire.
Winds from Storm Ciaran fans wildfire in Spain
Ferocious bomb cyclone Storm Ciaran slammed parts much of Europe Thursday with hurricane-force winds topping 100 mph in several locations, leaving at least 13 dead and over a million power outages across the European continent.
Deadly flash flooding unfolds in northern and central Italy
At least six people died in Italy after floodwaters quickly rose in the Tuscany region, according to Italian officials. Video showed cars being carried through the streets by the fast-moving water before midnight local time as nearly 8 inches of rain fell in the region.
4 tourists rescued from raging flood waters in Italy in the wake of Storm Ciaran
Four people were rescued from their vehicles after they became trapped in floodwaters in Italy after torrential rains soaked the region from Storm Ciaran. (Video courtesy: Vigili del Fuoco)
"We have just sent inflatable boats to Seano, Quarrata and Campi Bisenzio, we have also asked the National Civil Protection for helicopters for the urgent transport of people in code red," Eugenio Giani, the president of Tuscany, posted on X.
Aerial view of deadly flash flooding in Italy from Storm Ciaran
At least four people have died in Italy after flash floods swept through parts of Tuscany after nearly 8 inches of rain fell from Storm Ciaran. (Video courtesy: Vigili del Fuoco)
Meanwhile, Reuters reports two died when a bridge collapsed near the city of Pistoia, while two elderly victims died in Montemurlo, and a fifth person died in the town of Rosignano.
Matteo Biffoni, the mayor of Prato, said the situation was extremely critical and encouraged residents in the region to find higher ground and not to venture outside their homes during the storm.
Firefighters said they responded to over 100 calls and performed dozens of rescues with many drivers who were caught off guard by the fast-moving water. Four people were rescued after they were trapped in their vehicles when the Tagliamento River flooded, according to Vigili del Fuoco.
The local government proactively closed schools, parks, sporting venues and other facilities ahead of the extreme weather.
(Getty Images)
Deadly impacts felt across Europe
Ciarán explosively developed through the day Wednesday, tapping into a robust jet stream that stretched from New England across the North Atlantic Ocean. The storm’s central pressure dropped from 989 millibars Tuesday night to 953 millibars just 24 hours later by Wednesday night, easily reaching the criteria for a bomb cyclone as the center of the storm swept through the English Channel Thursday. The 953.3-millibar reading in Plymouth Thursday set a national record for lowest atmospheric pressure measured in England in November.
A man walks past overturned boats at the port Moulin Blanc in Brest, western France, on November 2, 2023, after the storm Ciaran hit the region. S
(DAMIEN MEYER/AFP / Getty Images)
With Ciarán’s destructive pressure gradient focused on its southern side, southern England and northern France took the brunt of the wrath. Pointe du Raz, France, recorded a gust of 129 mph, while Ile de Batz hit 121 mph, according to Meteo France. Gusts reached 118 mph in Brignogan, 101 mph in Saint-Segal and 96 mph in Brest.
SCREAMING JET STREAM OVER NORTHEAST FUELS BOMB CYCLONE CIARÁN
(FOX Weather)
Several homes in Brest were evacuated after a crane toppled, Darmanin reported.
He added Ciarán has left a trail of impassable roads and uprooted trees across Finisterre, Cotes d'Armor and Manache, which took the brunt of the triple-digit wind gusts.
France’s Minister of Transport, Clement Beaune, said on X that airports in Brest and Quimper remained closed Thursday morning and urged people to stay off the roads and work from home if possible.
About 1.2 million people in France had lost power so far in the storm, according to France's energy minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher. Tens of thousands were without cell service.
Darmanin reported firefighters across France have responded to over 10,000 calls for storm assistance since Wednesday.
Damage from Storm Ciaran in the Fench region of Brittany. (Credit: @ThomasPenoti via Storyful)
Ciarán did not spare the British Islands in the English Channel either, with a peak gust of 93 mph recorded at the airport in Jersey, while Guernsey reached 78 mph, according to the U.K. Met Office. On England's mainland, Falmouth hit a gust of 90 mph, while Langdon Bay near Dover recorded a gust of 71 mph.
In England's Dorset, heavy rain left floodwaters more than a foot deep at a group of holiday chalets at Freshwater Beach Holiday Park. Photos from the scene showed several members of rescue teams wading in knee-deep waters to bring flooded residents to safety via inflatable boats.