Forecasters across northern Europe, from Britain to Germany, urged residents to stay indoors and issued weather warnings, including the rare, highest-level red wind alert for the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall in southwestern England, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
In France, about 380,000 households lost electricity, mostly in the northern Normandy region, according to the Enedis power provider. In Britain, roughly 65,000 homes were affected, the BBC reported.
Overnight, wind gusts of 216 km/h (134 mph) and 213 km/h (132 mph) were recorded in France’s northwestern Manche region. The storms felled trees in several areas, with at least one tree crashing onto residential buildings in the Seine-Maritime region, though no injuries were reported.
In Britain, gusts of up to 160 km/h (100 mph) were expected, and the Met Office warned that very large waves could create dangerous coastal conditions.
It also issued an amber snow warning in Wales, central England and parts of northern England, predicting snow of up to 30 centimetres (11 inches) in some areas.
The UK's National Rail has said train services will be affected over the next two days, and called on people to avoid travel unless necessary.
Schools remained shut in northern France, where weather alerts have been issued in 30 other regions.
"Take shelter and do not use your vehicle," the Manche prefecture warned on X on Thursday, urging residents to prepare emergency lighting and a drinking water supply.
Europe's current extreme weather conditions have caused at least eight deaths, and on Thursday police in the Albanian city of Durres pulled a man's body from floodwater following days of heavy snow and torrential rain across the Balkans.
In Germany, heavy snow and winds in the north were set to affect schools, hospitals and transport links.
Up to 15 centimetres of snow (six inches) could fall in the north, and there was a risk of icy conditions in the south, according to the German Weather Service (DWD).
Temperatures this weekend could plunge to as low as -20C in certain areas, DWD meteorologist Andreas Walter told AFP.
Some areas have announced schools will shut on Friday, including in the northern cities of Hamburg and Bremen.
In Hamburg, the weather had already caused delays and cancellations on the public transport network on Thursday.
The national rail company Deutsche Bahn warned of significant delays in the coming days and has mobilised more than 14,000 employees to clear snow from tracks and platforms.
