Storm Austen leaves about 10,000 Freiburg households without power
Storm Austen cut power to about 10,000 Freiburg households, and power was restored around 11:00 Sunday.
Event / Disaster
France Storm Sequence October 2026
A succession of storms, including Storm Austen and Storm Boelo, has affected France in late October 2026. Storm Austen left more than 240,000 households without power in western and northern France on 23 October. Storm Boelo prompted orange rain-flood vigilance in the Pas-de-Calais from the evening of 24 October until 04:00 on 25 October, with forecast rainfall of 30 to 50 mm.
3 reported locations
Daily activity
18 articles3 articles
2026-10-22 to 2026-10-25 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 22 Oct, 08:22 UTC
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What happened
Storm Austen places five French departments on orange wind alert
Météo-France issued orange wind alerts for five departments in western France due to Storm Austen. The Finistère, Côtes-d'Armor, and Morbihan were placed on alert starting at 22:00 on October 22, 2026. The Manche and Ille-et-Vilaine were added to the alert from midnight onward. The alert was scheduled to remain in effect until midnight on October 25, 2026.
Meteorological warning issued for potential storm surge in northern Brittany
Météo-France indicated that an orange-level 'waves-submersion' alert was possible for departments in northern Brittany on the morning of October 25, 2026. This warning reflected the combination of high wave heights and storm surge risk despite a low tidal coefficient.
Storm Austen brings violent winds with gusts up to 140 km/h on French coast
Storm Austen brought extreme wind gusts across western France. Wind speeds of 100-110 km/h were expected inland, with occasional gusts reaching 120 km/h. Coastal areas experienced the most severe conditions, with gusts reaching 130-140 km/h. In the Iroise Sea, waves were forecast to reach 11-13 meters in height, creating dangerous maritime conditions.
SNCF suspends and reduces train service due to Storm Austen
French railway operator SNCF announced significant disruptions to train service in response to Storm Austen. Rail service was completely suspended on Norman lines on October 25, 2026, and partially suspended on Breton and Northern lines. Additional disruptions were expected on October 26, 2026.
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2 alternative perspectives
Households without power fall from 288,600 at peak to 59,000
Power outages from Storm Austen fell from 288,600 households at peak to 59,000 by midday Sunday.
Calvados power cuts and viaduct restrictions as storm Austen passes
Storm Austen cut power to around 20,000 Calvados households on Friday, with 1,600 still without electricity on Sunday.
Storm Austen moves on from France as orange wind alert is lifted
Storm Austen left France on Friday, the orange wind alert was lifted at 20:00, and Hauts-de-France rail traffic stayed disrupted until day's end.
Storm leaves one man dead and three lightly injured in France
One man died and three people were lightly injured as Enedis issues public safety instructions during storm recovery.
146,000 French households remain without power as repairs continue through weekend
Enedis reports 146,000 French households still without power as crews work through the weekend despite difficult access.
Over 240,000 households lost power across western and northern France Friday
Over 240,000 households lost power in western and northern France on Friday evening, according to one report.
Pas-de-Calais placed under orange rain-flood alert ahead of Saturday evening
Pas-de-Calais faces an orange rain-flood alert Saturday evening as storm Boelo forecasts 30 to 50 mm of rain.
Normandy rail lines disrupted as further disruptions are expected Saturday
Rail disruption is expected across France on Saturday 24 October, following interruptions on Normandy lines.
Some 161,000 households lose power as Enedis readies over 2,000 staff
Enedis has over 2,000 staff ready to restore power to about 161,000 households once storm conditions allow.
Breton coastal gusts reach 140 km/h as trees fall across France
Storm Austen brought recorded gusts of up to 140 km/h and numerous reported tree falls across France.
Manche restricts coastline movement and beach access as storm arrives
Manche restricts coastline movement and beach access, and Saint-Malo's Route du Rhum village closed Friday morning.