A powerful storm is battering parts of north-west Europe with heavy rainfall and strong winds of up to 150 kilometers per hour. Storm Ciara – known as Sabine in Germany and Switzerland and Elsa in Norway – has caused hundreds of flights to be grounded and rail services canceled in Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK.
Access to exposed areas such as parks and coastlines has been restricted and motorists have been warned to take care as the weather continues to cause severe travel disruption. Today, large parts of northern France were placed on an orange weather – the second-highest warning – with thousands of homes in Brittany left without power.