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“Bella” ensured that thousands of French and British households had to survive weekends without electricity. The storm hit both countries with heavy gusts and rain.
The storm “Bella severely hit parts of France and Britain. Tens of thousands of homes were without power and there were traffic obstructions.”
In France, the storm mainly hit the northern parts of the country in Brittany, Normandy and the Hauts-de-France. The meteorological service Météo France reported strong gusts and high waves on the Atlantic coast. The prefecture of the department of Manche in the English Channel asked citizens to be especially careful due to the strong wind.
Around 18,000 French households without electricity
As reported by the AFP news agency, citing the network operator Enedis, the power was cut in around 18,000 homes.
More than a third of all flights at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport were delayed by about 50 minutes. One plane from Luxembourg even had to return to its departure airport and three other flights were diverted to Orly airport.
Top speeds of 170 kilometers per hour
“Bella” also caused massive power outages in Britain: in Wales, some 20,000 homes were cut off. The storm brought heavy rain and reached wind speeds of up to 170 kilometers per hour on the Isle of Wight in the south of the UK. Houses and cars were on the water in parts of Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire in eastern England. In addition, the British meteorological service warned in the north of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland about rain and sleet.
In Bedfordshire County, authorities had asked thousands of residents to leave their homes before the storm hit, fearing the River Great Ouse could overflow its banks and cause flooding.
In the south of England, trains were canceled due to flooded tracks and a fallen tree blocked one of the main routes to London.
