Storm Ciarán whips western Europe

PARIS -- Record-breaking winds in France and across much of western Europe left at least seven people dead and injured others as Storm Ciarán swept through the continent Thursday. The storm devastated homes, causing travel mayhem and cut power to a vast number of people.

Winds of more than 118 mph slammed the northern tip of France's Atlantic coast, uprooting trees and blowing out windows. Huge waves slammed into French ports and shorelines, as wind flattened street signs and ripped off roofing. Felled trees blocked roads around western France.

A truck driver was killed when his vehicle was hit by a tree in northern France's inland Aisne region, Transport Minister Clement Beaune said. Meanwhile, a 70-year-old man in the port city of Le Havre, Normandy, died in a fall from his balcony. Local media outlet FranceBleu quoted a prosecutor as saying it appeared the man was closing his shutters against the wind when he fell. At least 16 people were injured in France, seven of them emergency workers.

About 1.2 million French households lost power, electrical utility Enedis said in a statement. That includes about half of the homes in Brittany, the Atlantic peninsula hardest hit by Ciarán. Enedis said it would deploy 3,000 workers to restore power when conditions allowed.

The wind reached up to nearly 100 mph on the Normandy coast and up to around 90 mph inland. Fishing crews put their livelihoods on hold and stayed ashore. Local authorities closed forests, parks and beachfronts in some regions.

Local trains were canceled across a swath of western France, and all roads in the Finistère region of Brittany were closed Thursday morning. Beaune, the transport minister, urged people to avoid driving and exercise caution when traveling across areas with weather warnings.

"We see how roads can be fatal in these circumstances," he told broadcaster France-Info.

Much of Spain was battered by heavy rains and gale-force winds, city parks were closed, and several trains and flights were canceled. Emergency services in Madrid said a woman died after a tree fell on her. Three other people were slightly injured in the incident on a city center street.

Two people were killed by falling tree branches in central Ghent, Belgium, including a 5-year-old child. A 3-year-old was slightly injured in the same incident, the Ghent prosecutor's office said in a statement. Another branch hit three German tourists in the central Ghent Citadel Park, killing a 64-year-old woman. Her daughter was seriously injured but the father was unhurt.

Belgian media reported a man was seriously injured when a wall collapsed because of the storm in the port city of Antwerp.

A storm warning was issued for the North Sea coast in Germany, and a warning of high winds for part of the Baltic Sea coast. Authorities said a 46-year-old woman was fatally injured by a falling tree in the Harz mountains in northern Germany. Weather alerts were also issued for much of Slovenia as the storm advanced, and the Adriatic port of Koper was closed to traffic.

Thousands were also without power in the United Kingdom. Sharp gusts blew roofs off buildings and toppled trees. Some had to evacuate their homes as Ciarán pummeled the south of England.

Hundreds of schools closed in the southern coastal communities of Cornwall and Devon, as downed trees and flooding hindered morning commutes.

Rail companies urged commuters to work from home if possible because of the potential for falling trees and debris on the tracks. P&O Ferries said tourist traffic was being sent away from the Port of Dover, which has suspended sailings. A major road in town was partly closed for public safety.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency urged people to keep away from the coast.

"Stay out of dangerous situations," the agency tweeted. "A selfie in stormy conditions isn't worth risking your life for."

Simon Partridge, senior meteorologist at U.K. government weather agency the Met Office, said the worst for England appeared to be over by midmorning. The storm is "starting to lose the energy it had when it first arrived," he said.

Britain's Environment Agency urged people to prepare for inland flooding, as some river levels remain high and the ground is saturated. By just after midday, there were 82 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 197 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, in place across England.

"Flooding of low-lying coastal roads is also possible and people must avoid driving through flood water, as nearly a foot of flowing water is enough to move your car," said the agency's flood duty manager, Ben Lukey.

The Met Office said the mean sea level pressure reading for England and Wales in November is the lowest ever, breaking a record from 1916.

On the Channel Islands, winds were between 90 mph and 100 mph for a full three hours. They smashed windows, damaged cars and tore roofs from buildings. Flights from airports on the islands of Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney were canceled.

"The hailstones were quite a bit heavier and bigger than a golf ball and we've had three windows damaged by them -- in my daughter's bedroom, a landing and a bathroom," said Suzie Phillips, a homeowner in Jersey.

Jersey Police tweeted that 35 people were relocated after their homes were damaged and three others were hospitalized. They said trees were down across the island.

Dutch media reported several people had been hit by falling trees in the Netherlands. One person was killed in the southern town of Venray.

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Associated Press writers Elaine Ganley in Paris, Danica Kirka in London, Raf Casert in Brussels, Geir Moulson in Berlin, Ciarán Giles in Madrid, Aleksandar Furtula in Neeltje Jans, Netherlands, and Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, contributed to this report.

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