Storm Goretti battered northern Europe, knocking out power to thousands of homes, shutting schools and suspending rail services in France, Britain and Germany as heavy snow and gale-force winds compounded a week of freezing weather.
Across northern Europe, emergency services were left scrambling to deal with heavy snowfall and severe winds from Goretti, which slammed into Britain yesterday before moving eastwards.
In snowbound Germany, one official said it was one of the most severe weather events in the region in recent years.
The powerful storm left around 380,000 households without electricity in France, mainly in Normandy and Brittany, as it rolled into continental Europe.
In the Netherlands, flights were cancelled as heavy snowfall was set to return after a one-day reprieve.
Winds of more than 150km/h were recorded overnight in France's northwestern Manche region, with a record 213km/h in Barfleur, forcing the SNCF rail operator to suspend services between Paris and Normandy.
French state-owned energy company EDF said that Storm Goretti had hit electricity production at the Flamanville nuclear plant, taking reactors one and three offline following the loss of a high-voltage line.
The storm's strength, which tore off roofs and uprooted trees, was "exceptional", Manche prefect Marc Chappuis told BFM TV.
In central England, rail operators warned passengers not to travel and suspended some services as the storm moved through.
Wintry weather in the UK over the weekend
Wintry weather is expected to grip much of the UK over the weekend as Britons deal with the aftermath of the storm.
More than 40,000 properties were without power in the south west at midday today, according to the National Grid's website, while about 11,000 had no power in the west Midlands, more than 500 had no power in the east Midlands, and more than 400 were without power in Wales.
The Met Office said this morning that Storm Goretti "continues to cause problems" as a mixture of rain, sleet and snow batters some areas.
Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice have been extended into tomorrow for large parts of Scotland, England and Northern Ireland.
At least 69 flights scheduled to operate to or from Heathrow airport today have been cancelled, likely disrupting more than 9,000 passengers.
Freezing weather grounds flights
In northern Germany, state-owned Deutsche Bahn halted long-distance train services until further notice, citing one of the most severe winter weather events in the region in many years.
"So far, we have been able to avoid situations where passengers are left stranded on the open track for long periods of time," a Deutsche Bahn spokesperson told a press conference at Berlin’s central station, adding that crews were working to clear the tracks quickly and safely.
At Hamburg Airport, northern Germany's busiest air terminal, about 40 flights were cancelled.
The Netherlands' KLM carrier said it had cancelled 80 flights to and from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport scheduled for today.
Schiphol had earlier this week cancelled hundreds of flights because of freezing weather.
In Hungary, the military was called out to assist motorists trapped in heavy snow.
Western Balkan countries have seen widespread disruption since Sunday.
One person was found dead in Albania yesterday, which has been hit by extensive flooding, while gale-force winds ripped roofs off buildings in northeastern Turkey.
Additional reporting: PA
