Storm Austen Batters France and Britain with Winds of Up to 160 km/h

Storm Austen, the first named storm of the 2026 autumn season, struck coastal areas of France and the United Kingdom on Friday. Powerful winds, heavy rain and towering waves battered the coasts of both countries.

Brittany, Cornwall and Devon were among the hardest-hit regions. Gusts reached 160 km/h at Pointe du Raz in Finistère, while winds of up to 80 mph were forecast for exposed headlands in south-west England.

Along the Finistère coast, gusts of 120 to 140 km/h whipped up rough seas. At Lanildut harbour, waves several metres high crashed against a navigation marker, and yachts rocked violently at their moorings.

At the same harbour, a pleasure boat was left capsized and partially submerged. Heavy rain flooded parts of the harbour, while fallen branches littered nearby roads.

Further along the coast, large waves pounded the shoreline at Le Conquet. Boats remained moored in the port, but the whole area lay subdued under the stormy weather.

In Rennes, emergency crews used chainsaws to remove a large tree uprooted beside the River Vilaine. The fallen tree temporarily blocked traffic on a nearby boulevard.

Across the Channel, in Hayle, Cornwall, fallen branches forced the closure of a road. Workers cleared the debris to reopen it.

Strong winds and downpours also swept across southern England. Devon was among the areas exposed to the worst of the conditions.

Huge waves, uprooted trees and damaged boats marked the force of Storm Austen's arrival on the coast. Many local residents had been warned in advance of the severe weather.

The storm's strongest winds and heaviest seas were concentrated along the Atlantic and Channel coasts. The weather system then moved eastwards across northern France and southern England.

As the first named storm of the autumn, Austen reminded coastal communities of nature's power right at the start of the season. A full account of the damage is not yet available.

As the system moves away to the east, conditions in the affected areas are expected to gradually return to normal. Clearing uprooted trees and damaged boats, however, may take several more days.