Storm Austen hit Brittany on Thursday night with gusts of up to 140km/h, leaving 161,000 households without power on Friday morning. Fallen trees closed roads and disrupted trains in Brittany and Normandy. The storm then moved east towards the Paris region and northern and central France.
What happened
According to The Local France, Storm Austen reached Brittany late on Thursday 22 October. The coast took the worst of it overnight, with very large waves and record-breaking winds. The strongest gust was 158km/h on Ouessant, an island in the Finistère département (an administrative area roughly like a county) off the western tip of Brittany.
By Friday morning, 161,000 households had no electricity. In Brittany and Normandy, many train services were disrupted and roads were closed, mainly because of fallen trees. Tram services in Brest were also disrupted.
The Local France included a French-language weather post with satellite images of the storm. It said the centre of the low-pressure system was crossing the western part of the Channel, and that the strongest winds were to the south of it, along the coast of Brittany.
The publication said high winds and falling trees had caused a lot of damage, but no deaths had been reported.
What it means for you
The storm was moving east on Friday, so the effects were no longer limited to the west. Based on The Local France’s report, these are the main points for residents:
- Weather alerts: most of the Channel coast was on orange alert for high winds. In French this is vigilance orange, the second-highest level in France’s weather warning system.
- Paris region and the rest of the north and centre: large parts of northern and central France, including the ÃŽle-de-France region around Paris, were expected to get heavy rain and strong winds.
- Trains: services across the affected area were disrupted on Friday morning, including the RER, the suburban rail network linking Paris with its surrounding towns.
- Roads in the north: in the Hauts-de-France region in the north of the country, temporary speed limits applied on all main roads.
- Brittany and Normandy: roads were closed and trains disrupted, mostly because of trees on roads and tracks.
- Brest: tram services were disrupted.
- Electricity: 161,000 households were without power on Friday morning.
If you live in or are travelling through Brittany, Normandy, Hauts-de-France or the Paris region, check before you set off. Look at your train, RER or tram line, and check the route you plan to drive. Your area may also be under an alert. In Hauts-de-France, remember that the lower speed limits apply on all main roads while they are in force. If your home has lost power, you may still be waiting for it to come back.
What to watch next
As the storm moved east on Friday, the areas facing the strongest wind and rain shifted with it. The things to follow are:
- whether the orange alerts along the Channel coast stay in place, are lifted or spread to other areas;
- how the heavy rain and strong winds forecast for northern and central France, including the Paris region, actually turn out;
- when normal service returns on trains, the RER and the Brest trams;
- when the temporary speed limits in Hauts-de-France are lifted;
- how quickly power is restored to the 161,000 households that lost it.
The Local France’s report covers Friday morning, so things may have changed since then. Check with your transport operator and the official weather alerts for the latest position in your area.
Source: The Local France
Sources
- The Local France: Transport disruption and electricity blackouts as storms hit western France, accessed 24 October 2026
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