Storm Goretti raised gale-force winds and heaped volumes of snow on northern Europe on 9th January, blacking out thousands of homes, grounding aircraft, and disrupting train services, to add to a week of freezing weather.

The storm hit Britain on Thursday and flew eastwards to continental Europe. The state railway in snow-bound Germany described it as one of the worst weather conditions in recent years.

In France, about 380,000 homes were cut off, principally in Normandy and Brittany, though by noon, some 60,000 of them were already restored, and 60,000 in Scotland and central England fell victim.

FLIGHTS CANCELLED

In the Netherlands, the flights had been cancelled because a heavy snowfall was going to resume after a one-day break.

An overnight record of 150 kph (93 mph) was observed in the northwestern region of France in the Manche, and a record 213 kph in Barfleur, compelling the SNCF rail operator to cancel operations between Paris and Normandy.

According to the French state-owned energy corporation EDF, Storm Goretti had ordered two reactors to come to a halt at the Flamanville power station following a disruption to a high-voltage line, and roofs were removed, and trees fell. Western European power prices increased in the wholesale market.

In the English West Midlands, thick snow covering the area led to the suspension of some rail services, and people were advised to stay at home.

“It is pretty old stuff, it is several years old, you get a bit of this (snow), and everything comes to a halt,” said Wolverhampton resident David Goldstone, 86.

Shopping trolleys and heaps of slush caused trouble for the pedestrians.

“We’re just not used to it, are we?” said one other resident, Tracy Wilks, 53.

SNOW WEATHER HALTS FLIGHTS

In northern Germany, State-owned Deutsche Bahn suspended service on long-distance trains until further notice due to one of the worst winters in many years.

Up until now, we have been in a position to prevent cases where passengers have been left on the open track for extended durations, a spokesperson at the central station in Berlin told reporters that crews were busy clearing the tracks.

At the Hamburg Airport, the busiest air terminal in northern Germany, approximately 40 flights had to be cancelled, and a Bundesliga soccer match between St. Pauli and RB Leipzig had to be postponed. The German carmaker Volkswagen did close down its Wolfsburg plant early on Friday, though, and a second plant at Emden was still closed.

The Dutch airline KLM reported that it had cancelled 80 flights on Friday in and out of the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. This is after hundreds of flights by Schiphol were already cancelled earlier this week due to freezing weather.

In Hungary, the army was deployed to come to the rescue of motorists caught in thick snow.

Since Sunday, there has been extensive disruption in the countries of the Western Balkans. One person died in Albania, which was struck by massive floods on Thursday, and gales swept away roofs in northeast Turkey.