Storm Austen swept across parts of Europe on Friday, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, and flooding to Ireland, the UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and northern Spain.
In Ireland, Met Éireann issued orange rain warnings for Dublin, Wicklow, and Wexford until 8am, with yellow alerts for wind and rain across Leinster and Munster. About 3,000 properties lost power, mostly in the south and east, and Bus Éireann reported cancellations on routes in Waterford, Navan, and Kells. County councils warned of river and coastal flooding, fallen trees, and difficult travel conditions .
In France, 23 departments in the north and west were placed under orange alerts as gusts up to 140 km/h left over 160,000 households without electricity. The storm disrupted rail travel and forced the closure of the Route du Rhum village in Saint-Malo .
Belgian cities closed parks and canceled events as winds exceeded 110 km/h . In the Netherlands, forecasters warned of gusts up to 100 km/h by evening .
Spain’s Aemet issued orange warnings for Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country, and Galicia, with waves up to 7 meters and winds of 62–74 km/h along the Cantabrian coast . Scotland’s Met Office issued a yellow rain warning for central and eastern areas, with 60–80mm of rainfall expected and travel disruption likely .
