Storms batter Europe, hitting power supplies, flights and phones

Storms swept through northern Europe on Sunday, leaving over 150,000 homes without power, disrupting flights and rendering phone networks silent. Winds up to 135km/h were recorded in Argyll and Bute, western Scotland, while fallen trees and power cables blocked roads and rail lines across the region. More than 82,000 British homes, nearly 60,000 French homes, and at least 10,000 German homes experienced power cuts within a span of 24 hours due to storms Boelo and Austen.

The Energy Networks Association in Britain reported that more than 400,000 homes lost power at some point during the storms. In Brighton, England, parts of the pier that had been unused since a 2003 fire were completely destroyed by storm Austen on Friday. The storms also battered northern France as the continent faced its first significant autumn storms of the year, with French energy provider Enedis reporting that up to 288,000 homes lost power at the peak of storm Austen on Saturday.

Around 59,000 homes remained without electricity at midday on Sunday, primarily in Normandy and Brittany. Enedis reported that 2,600 technicians and contractors were working to restore power. In Germany, Austen cut power to 10,000 homes in and around Fribourg-Brisgau, where a hospital had to limit services to emergency cases and the mobile phone network was down.

Two people sustained serious injuries on Saturday when scaffolding was blown away by Austen's winds during a market in Nastatten. German meteorological agency DWD warned of potentially stronger winds of up to 100km/h on the northern coast. Storms also impacted the Netherlands and Belgium, where falling trees injured four people in Brussels.

Across northern Europe, hundreds of flights were either cancelled or diverted due to the storms. Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, a major European hub, canceled dozens of flights on Sunday, with numerous others also canceled. Flights destined for northern England and Scotland were also affected by the storms.