A powerful storm system, named "Goretti" by Météo-France, moved across the United Kingdom and France on Friday, leaving downed trees and power cuts affecting nearly half a million customers.
The storm also spread snow across parts of Great Britain.
The worst of the 55,000 U.K. power outages were in the southwest at Cornwall, where 73 percent of National Grid U.K. power customers were without power as of Friday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.US.
A weather station at Padstow NCI in Cornwall recorded a wind gust of 123 mph (198 km/h). One man had his home's roof ripped off as hail and rain poured in through cracks in the walls. Off the southwest shore, a peak gust of 99 mph (159 km/h) was reported at St. Mary's on the Isles of Scilly, the highest there since 1991, the Met Office said.
To the southeast, a 121 mph (195 km/h) gust was measured at Barfleur, on the tip of France's Cotentin peninsula. Winds were even worse in Normandy, France, with a wind gust of 132 mph (212 km/h) recorded in Gatteville-le-Phare. At one point, more than 380,000 customers were without power in France.
The storm affected rail services in the English West Midlands, as well as trains in France and Germany.
Travel and school disruptions in Scotland from a storm earlier this week were extended by Friday's storm. The nation was hit with 20 inches (51 cm) of snow on Monday, and many schools shuttered again on Friday, wrapping up a full week of closures.
Why the chemtrail conspiracy theory lingers and grows – and why Tucker Carlson is talking about it- Danish warship sunk by famed British admiral discovered after 225 years
- Vote in favor of your Number one Kind of Shades
- I visited the largest collection of public telescopes in the US in Oregon's high desert, and the dark skies blew me away
- Artemis II astronauts say they're "ready to go" for moon launch
- RSF attack on Sudan’s South Kordofan kills at least 14, including children
- Sound Maturing: Wellbeing Tips for Each Life Stage
- Rights group: At least 2,500 deaths during protest crackdown in Iran
- Burger King launches 'SpongeBob' menu ahead of film's release. A look at the Bikini Bottom-inspired meal, plus what taste testers are saying.
