Orange wind and wave warnings issued for Brittany, Normandy and Loire-Atlantique as Storm Austen approaches

Météo-France announced orange-level wind warnings for Brittany, Normandy and the department of Loire-Atlantique as the storm named Austen moves toward the Hauts-de-France. The system is already generating strong winds far off the Breton coast, with the Manche department forecast to experience gusts up to 120 km/h inland and winds that will not ease until late Friday afternoon. The prefecture of Manche issued an order restricting movement near the shoreline and limiting beach access.

Meanwhile, the wind direction will shift to the west-south-west overnight, intensifying further with gusts of 100-110 km/h inland and up to 130-140 km/h along the coast. Orange alerts for potential wave-submersion are also possible for northern Brittany. Anticipating the storm, SNCF will suspend train services on Normandy lines, partially on Breton and northern routes, with further disruptions expected on Saturday. Additionally, the village of the Route du Rhum in Saint-Malo will be closed on Friday morning due to the weather conditions.