The storm that hit central Europe with winds exceeding 160 kilometers per hour is called Eleanor and comes from the Atlantic. In France, a woman died on the ski slopes after a tree fell. Wounded in Great Britain and Ireland. In Brussels, the authorities invite people not to leave their homes.
Meanwhile, there is chaos in transport: hundreds of flights have been cancelled, especially in Holland and Switzerland, but also in France and the United Kingdom. At Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, 252 of the 1200 flights scheduled for the day were cancelled, while delays of up to an hour are expected for the other flights. Inconveniences and cancellations also in Switzerland at the airports of Zurich and Basel. While in France there have been severe delays in the Parisian airports, and air traffic has been suspended at the airports of Bale-Mulhouse and Strasbourg. There have also been delays and cancellations in the UK. According to the Met Office, the British meteorological office, the situation is expected to improve in the next few hours.
Eleanor especially targeted France. In addition to the skier who died in Morillon, in Haute-Savoie, the death toll has risen to 15 in the last few hours, four of whom are in serious condition. The French emergency speaks of 225 homes without electricity throughout the country, with firefighters already intervening 4.300 times.
In Paris, after the 150 km/h gusts recorded on the top floor of the Eiffel Tower (temporarily closed as a precaution) the situation is gradually returning to normal, but the orange weather alert remains in 36 French departments.
The United Kingdom has also been strongly affected by Eleanor, while severe weather warnings have been issued from Northern Ireland to England and Scotland. At least four people in England and Wales were injured by falling trees and there are thousands of homes in darkness across the country.
There are also severe transport disruptions with roads blocked and bridges closed due to very strong gusts of wind, as well as widespread flood warnings, particularly for coastal areas.
In Switzerland a train derailed, with several people slightly injured, and 14 homes were left without electricity, while in Germany there were transport disruptions.
