Storm Ciaran wreaked havoc in northern France with winds reaching nearly 200 km/h, resulting in a tragic incident involving a lorry driver. Meanwhile, southern England and other parts of

western Europe remain on high alert, anticipating flooding, blackouts, and extensive travel disruptions. The unfortunate fatality occurred when a tree fell on the cabin of a heavy goods vehicle in the Aisne department, as confirmed by emergency services to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Overnight, approximately 1.2 million French households lost electricity as the storm pummeled the northwest coast, uprooting trees and causing significant damage. During a meeting in Paris on Thursday, Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin reported that one person was seriously injured, with 15 others sustaining minor injuries, including seven firefighters.

Météo-France, the national weather service, described the wind gusts in Brittany as exceptional, noting that numerous records were broken. Winds reached 193 km/h (120 miles/h) in the town of Plougonvelin on the northwest coast's tip, while Brest, a port city in Brittany, experienced gusts of 156 km/h.

In southern England's Cornwall, strong winds at 135 km/hour created massive waves along the coastline on Thursday morning, leading to the closure of hundreds of schools in the region. The Channel Island of Jersey witnessed wind gusts of up to 164 km/hour, damaging homes and necessitating the evacuation of residents to hotels, according to local media.

The Netherlands also issued warnings about powerful gusts of up to 100 km/h, prompting workers to avoid commuting, and Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, a major European hub, reported 206 canceled flights. Eurostar, which runs train services between the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, and the UK, cautioned that travel "could be disrupted" and advised travelers to postpone their journeys whenever possible. Domestic rail and ferry services were also affected.

Dutch public broadcaster NOS's weather forecaster, Roosmarijn Knol, stressed the significance of the storm's timing, given the warm, rainy autumn that has left trees with leaves and the ground saturated.

"Due to a warm autumn with a lot of rain, trees still have their leaves, and the ground is as wet as a sponge. Therefore, especially weak trees have a good chance of falling over. That is a big difference from an autumn storm at, say, the end of November when all the leaves have already fallen," Knol explained.

Britain's Environment Agency warned of "significant flooding along parts of the south coast and along parts of the Yorkshire and Northeast coasts on Thursday." The road operator issued a severe weather alert, and train operators encouraged commuters to work from home while assessing train lines for fallen trees and debris.

The storm's effects extended as far south as Spain and Portugal, where several regions were placed on red alert, causing power outages from fallen trees and disruptions in train services.

Northern France experienced limited rail services, with two regions on maximum flood alert. In Pas-de-Calais, authorities opened gymnasiums and shelters for migrants converging on the region, hoping to reach Britain by boat.

Three French departments—Finistère, Côtes-d'Armor, and Manche—were initially placed on red storm alert, the highest level, at midnight, though this classification was downgraded early Thursday.