Red weather alert issued as Storm Goretti brings 140km/h winds to northern France

Update 17:00 - Météo-France's latest bulletin has announced orange wind warnings for 32 departments on Friday. Red weather warnings are being maintained in the Manche while Haute-Savoie, Savoie and Hautes-Alpes are on orange alert for snow and ice in the east of the country.

Storm Goretti is set to hit northern France from midday today (January 8), arriving in Brittany before sweeping east with heavy rain and gale-force winds. 

A red weather alert has been issued for the Manche department in Normandy.

State forecaster Météo France has placed 24 departments in the north of France on a heightened-tier three orange warning for winds. 

This will increase the highest possible red-tier warning in the Manche department between 21:00 tonight and 03:00 on Friday, when winds are set to be strongest.

"We are expecting hurricance-force winds," said president of weather-risk assessors Predict Services Alix Roumagnac to media outlet FranceInfo. Predict Services is a subsidiary of the state forecaster.

Winds of 140 km/h in the department are the maximum expected, however winds in excess of 110 km/h are expected across much of Brittany and may reach Paris.

People in the area should stay inside this evening, and only leave their homes if absolutely necessary. Driving should also be limited to necessary journeys.

People in the area should also prepare themselves for stormy conditions and the expectation that their homes may lose power. This includes making sure they have torches, warm clothing, and other supplies at the ready to spend potentially several hours without power.

Those without outdoor furniture that may blow away should think to tie it down, and cars parked away from trees that may blow over – our article here provides practical tips on protecting your home during stormy conditions.

Snowfall is limited to between 1cm and 4cm in eastern areas and is not expected in areas set to be impacted by the storm.

Trains and ferries disrupted, deliveries impacted

Train services in Normandy are set to be suspended from 19:00 this evening in the Manche and from 22:00 elsewhere.

All services will be cancelled until at least 14:00 or 16:00 in the Seine-Maritime on Friday, although it is possible the cancellation period will be extended depending on the storm’s overnight ferocity. 

Several routes in Brittany have also been fully or partially cancelled, and no regional TER services will run in the Hauts-de-France region on Friday morning.

Travellers should check the status of their journey through local or national SNCF channels.

Brittany Ferries have also changed or altered a number of services, and other cross-Channel routes are likely to be impacted either tonight or tomorrow morning. 

La Poste and private courier services such as Amazon have warned that parcel deliveries may be delayed due to the weather conditions.

As the storm is set to have its biggest impact overnight, continual disruption to these services is expected on Friday. 

There is a risk that winds of 120 km/h will remain in the Hauts-de-France region at the start of the day, before the storm passes eastwards into Belgium and Germany.