Story perspectives

Storm Austen Cuts Power to Nearly 300,000 French Homes

By Drooid · Oct 24, 2026, 6:24 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Storm Austen cut power to nearly 300,000 French homes on Oct 23.
Enedis said most French outages were in Brittany and Normandy.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot reported Normandy rail suspension and Paris commuter disruptions.
The storm also knocked out electricity for about 12,000 British homes.
Flights from Charles de Gaulle were diverted to Orly and other European airports.

History

Historical Context

The 15-16 October 1987 Great Storm, an extratropical cyclone that produced 115 mph gusts in southern England and left 1.79 million French homes without power, exposed severe gaps in forecasting and grid resilience. Reforms by the Met Office and upgrades to European transmission networks followed. The October 2023 Storm Austen, which cut power to nearly 300,000 French households, shows those lessons remain urgent.

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Story summary

Storm Austen cut power to nearly 300,000 French homes on Oct 23.
Enedis said most French outages were in Brittany and Normandy.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot reported Normandy rail suspension and Paris commuter disruptions.
The storm also knocked out electricity for about 12,000 British homes.
Flights from Charles de Gaulle were diverted to Orly and other European airports.

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