She has been unleashed since midday. Storm Ciara is sweeping across northern Europe, including France this Sunday. The latest forecasts point to gusts that could well exceed 100 km / h inland, more than what was announced.
WEATHER ALERTS: 35 departments on orange alert
Météo France has placed 35 departments in the northern part of the country on orange alert (level 3 of 4) due to the violent winds. Going down to the Massif Central, the Alps and the Gironde, all the departments are on the alert yellow (level 2 of 4) for the same reason.
Due to the violence of the winds and the strong tidal coefficients, the coastline is also on the alert at the risk of submersive waves: orange vigilance for Loire-Atlantique, Morbihan, Finistère, Manche, Seine-Maritime and Somme , yellow vigilance for all the other departments of the Atlantic coast, the English Channel and the North Sea.
Abroad, England, Ireland and Wales are entirely on the alert.
THE POWER OF THE PHENOMENON: up to 160 km / h
Météo France anticipates gusts ranging from 100 km / h to 130 km / h in alert zones inland, even more by the sea. It is in the evening and at night that the winds will be the more powerful. Ciara will gradually move away at the end of the night from Sunday to Monday, weakening first in the West. Monday, the Alps and Corsica will be hit by strong winds.
This Sunday afternoon, gusts over 100 km / h were noted in different regions.
# StormCiara #WatchOrange #Ciara
At the start of the afternoon, gusts are often observed between 100 and 130 km / h on the English coast.
In the interior, the 100 km / h threshold begins to be exceeded:
109 in Méaulte (Somme)
108 in Caen
105 in Cambrai
104 in Lille
Keraunos, the French observatory for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms, recorded up to 161 km / h in the Manche, at Barfleur.
#TempeteCiara - Gust at 161 km / h at Barfleur (Gatteville-le-Phare station) raised at 2 p.m. Minimum pressure of 947.7 hPa at Stornoway in the north #Scotland, closest to the low pressure center. Note also the strengthening in #HautsdeFrance with 116 km / h in Calais.
- Keraunos (@KeraunosObs) February 9, 2020This map allows you to view the power and location of the bursts expected over the next few hours.
# StormCiara: winds revised upwards for the next night after the passage of the cold front. In an unstable air (showers), convective gusts could reach loc. 130 km / h inland and 160 km / h on certain exposed headlands.
>> https://t.co/6cDTQ49FqX pic.twitter.com/RP0KsoCUy3
THE BALANCE SHEET AND THE DAMAGE: the SNSM denounces "unconscious" behavior
For the moment, no victim has been identified in France. However, the volunteer sea rescuers of Calais denounced Sunday “unconscious” behavior on the part of “windsurfers and lovers of board sports”, who went out to sea despite the storm and the multiple calls for caution.
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La Voix du Nord also reports falling trees in the regions of Lille (North) and Valenciennes (North). Power outages are reported in this area.
In the Scottish city of Perth, three people were injured in the partial collapse of the roof of a pub.
DISRUPTED TRANSPORT: paralyzed air, rail and maritime
In France, SNCF has warned that rail traffic could experience major disruptions in the coming hours. In Ile-de-France, the RER D is disrupted between Creil (Oise) and Goussainville (Val-d'Oise). Elsewhere, trains have been abolished in the Lille region (North).
Network Rail, the owner of the British rail network, advised against traveling by train on Sunday. Rail lines in northern Germany were also affected with regional train cancellations in the regional state of Lower Saxony.
Dozens of flights have been canceled or delayed across the Channel, with British Airways offering passengers who may arrive or depart from London airports Sunday to reschedule their flights. Virgin Atlantic also canceled several flights from Heathrow, the country's largest airport. In Germany, the airports of Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich but also Cologne and Hanover have canceled takeoffs and landings. In Belgium and the Netherlands, dozens of flights have also been canceled. Planes are diverted due to the violence of the gusts.
💨 The easyJet Geneva - Luton flight rerouted for Gatwick after 4 go-arounds and more than 2 hours 40 minutes in the air! pic.twitter.com/JiTQnjD7L3
- air plus news (@airplusnews) February 9, 2020The movement of ferries in the English Channel between Calais and Dover was also interrupted in the middle of the day "until further notice".
AND SPORTS ? Many postponed matches
The storm led to the postponement of several football matches in the United Kingdom, as well as the Scotland-England match of the Six Nations Women's Rugby Tournament, horse races ...
In Germany and Belgium, football championship matches have also been postponed.
In France, a point will be made this Sunday at 5 p.m. by the Professional Football League at the Parc des Princes. Gusts of wind threaten the holding of the match.