Hundreds of thousands of households were without power on Friday morning, and transport was seriously disrupted, after Storm Austen hit western France.
The storm struck Brittany on Thursday night, bringing gusts of up to 140km/h, before moving west.
On Friday numerous train services were disrupted and roads closed in Brittany and Normandy, mainly due to fallen trees, while 161,000 households were without power. In the town of Brest tram services are disrupted.
On Friday, the storm is moving east, with most of the Channel coast areas on orange alert for high winds and large parts of northern and central France, including the Paris region, expected to also be battered by heavy rain and strong winds.
On Friday morning, train services across the area are disrupted, including the Paris suburban RER services. In the Hauts-de-France region in north-east France, temporary speed limits are in place on all main roads.
Overnight, coastal areas in Brittany experienced the worst of the storm with huge waves and record-breaking winds - gusts of 158km/h were recorded in Ouessant, Finistère.
💨🚩🛰️L'animation du satellite montre que le coeur de la dépression #Austen traverse la partie ouest du bassin de la Manche. Les vents les plus violents s'observent au sud de la dépression, sur les côtes bretonnes. https://t.co/CEUOBBrTlx
— La Chaîne Météo (@lachainemeteo) October 23, 2026
Although high winds and falling trees caused considerable damage, no loss of life has been reported.