France NOW! Storm Louis: France’s Terrifying Encounter with Nature’s Wrath

On Thursday, February 22, Storm Louis crossed France, causing extreme weather conditions, especially in the west and southwest of the country. Météo France declared an orange alert level in 26 French departments, including Pas-de-Calais, Nord, Calvados, Manche, Orne, and Uaz, and a yellow alert level in 65 other departments. Prior to the storm, there was a sharp drop in temperatures. The strongest wind gusts were observed on the Atlantic coast: 135 km/h in Pays de la Loire and 126 km/h at Cape Carteret. In the town of Ouistreham, a ship en route to England had to circle for two and a half hours due to rough seas before reaching its port. The wind was so strong that it uprooted trees and, in some places, tore down power lines. During the peak of the storm, 90,000 homes were left without electricity. Unfortunately, there were casualties. Firefighters reported finding a 52-year-old man who drowned after being trapped in his car. “At 1:00 PM, the man crossed the bridge, and the strong curr