Overview
- Météo‑France placed La Manche on red vigilance for violent winds from 21:00 to 03:00, forecasting 150–160 km/h gusts on the coast and 130–140 km/h inland.
- Nearly 30 departments were put on orange alert for high winds, including the Paris region, as the storm tracked slightly farther south than earlier projections.
- Authorities reported measured extremes during the peak, including gusts up to 170 km/h in Normandy and 118 km/h atop the Eiffel Tower, with debris and damage on Manche roads.
- Rail traffic was preemptively halted in Normandy from late Thursday, TER services were suspended in Hauts‑de‑France Friday morning, bridges and coastal sites closed, and schools shut in affected areas including Manche and Seine‑Maritime.
- The rapidly intensifying low described as a “bomb” cyclone generated very heavy seas, with warnings of 6–9 meter waves and a ban on taking to sea as the system pushes east across northern France on Friday.