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Ferocious bomb cyclone Storm Ciarán slammed parts of France, England and Spain Thursday with hurricane-force winds topping 100 mph in several locations, leaving at least two dead, more than a dozen injured, and over a million without power in France.
Reuters reported a truck driver died just outside of Paris when a tree fell into his vehicle. The storm left at least 16 others injured in France, according to Gerald Darmanin, France's Minister of the Interior. One of the injuries was reported as serious while the other 15 were minor injuries, Darmanin posted. Seven of the injured were firefighters, officials said.
Damaging wind gusts even reached to Spain, where a woman was killed when she was hit by a falling tree, according to Reuters. Three others were hurt in Spain.
Pedestrians walk past a destroyed warehouse in Porspoder, western France, on November 2, 2023, as the storm Ciaran hits the region. (Photo by DAMIEN MEYER/AFP via Getty Images)
Ciarán explosively developed through the day Wednesday, tapping into a robust jet stream that stretched from New England across the North Atlantic Ocean. The storm’s central pressure dropped from 989 millibars Tuesday night to 953 millibars just 24 hours later by Wednesday night, easily reaching the criteria for a bomb cyclone as the center of the storm swept through the English Channel Thursday. The 953.3 millibar reading in Plymouth Thursday set a national record for lowest atmospheric pressure measured in England in November.
SCREAMING JET STREAM OVER NORTHEAST FUELS BOMB CYCLONE CIARÁN
With Ciarán’s destructive pressure gradient focused on its southern side, southern England and northern France took the brunt of the wrath. Pointe du Raz, France, recorded a gust of 129 mph, while Ile de Batz hit 121 mph, according to Meteo France. Gusts reached 118 mph in Brignogan, 101 mph in Saint-Segal and 96 mph in Brest.
Several homes in Brest were evacuated after a crane toppled, Darmanin reported.
He added Ciarán has left a trail of impassable roads and uprooted trees across Finisterre, Cotes d'Armor and Manache, which took the brunt of the triple-digit wind gusts.
France’s Minister of Transport, Clement Beaune, said on X that airports in Brest and Quimper remained closed Thursday morning and urged people to stay off the roads and work from home if possible.
About 1.2 million people in France had lost power so far in the storm, according to France's energy minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher. Tens of thousands were without cell service.
Darmanin reported firefighters across northern France have responded to nearly 3,500 calls for storm assistance so far.
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Storm Ciaran lashes northwestern France
Winds of up to 128 mph left trees and infrastructure damaged in the French region of Brittany.
Ciarán did not spare the British Islands in the English Channel either, with a peak gust of 93 mph recorded at the airport in Jersey, while Guernsey reached 78 mph, according to the U.K. Met Office. On England's mainland, Falmouth hit a gust of 90 mph while Langdon Bay near Dover recorded a gust of 71 mph.
In England's Dorset, heavy rains left flood waters more than a foot deep at a group of holiday chalets at Freshwater Beach Holiday Park. Photos from the scene showed several members of rescue teams wading in knee-deep waters to bring flooded residents to safety via inflatable boats.
High-wind alerts remain in effect across northern France and southern England Thursday, with gradually easing conditions heading into Friday.
Get updates on this story at FOXWeather.com.