Storm Nils Hits Western Europe With Power Outages and Floods

Flooded farmland after Storm Leonardo in Alcacer do Sal, Portugal, on Feb. 5. Photographer: Adri Salido/Getty Images Europe Photo by Adri Salido /Getty Images

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(Bloomberg) — Storm Nils is battering Western Europe, cutting power to 900,000 households in France and forcing flood evacuations as the region endures another round of extreme weather.

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The storm system is forecast to bring torrential rain and winds topping 150 kilometers (93 miles) per hour to southern France, the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane. Authorities have issued red weather warnings for northern Spain, southwest France and Sardinia, while avalanche risks are at their highest level in parts of the French Alps.

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Following a series of storms in late-January, a southerly jet stream is funneling warm, moist air from the Atlantic, feeding an unusually relentless string of atmospheric rivers into Iberia and the mid-continent. That’s putting increasing stress on power and transport networks from Portugal to France.

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French power systems were disrupted, with distribution operator Enedis dispatching 1,400 technicians to tackle outages in Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie. At the same time, wind generation flooded the grid, causing French intraday power prices to trade below zero for several hours on Thursday and prompting Electricite de France to curb output from its nuclear reactors.

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Several trains heading south from Paris were canceled and SNCF rail traffic has been disrupted across many southern departments. All ferries linking the French mainland to Corsica have been halted. 

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Heavy snowfall is expected in the French Alps, shutting La Plagne and a number of other ski resorts in Savoie on Thursday, according to Ici radio. The avalanche risk is at highest level 5 in many parts of the region, including the Trois Vallees that’s home to resorts including Courchevel and Meribel.

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As France’s power system came under strain, EDF took its Cattenom 1 nuclear plant offline and modulated production at reactors such as Civaux 2 and Penly 2, according to Alessandro Armenia, an energy analyst at Kpler Ltd.

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In Portugal, part of the main north–south highway, known as A1, collapsed near Coimbra as the latest wave of rain worsened flooding from previous storms, according to concession operator Brisa Auto-Estradas de Portugal SA.

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Thousands of people fled their homes after rising waters burst the banks of the Mondego River, flooding roads and inundating vast areas of farmland. At least 3,000 people were evacuated in the Coimbra area alone after a levee ruptured, triggering significant flooding in the city and surrounding towns, according to civil-protection authorities. 

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At least 16 people have died in Portugal since the storms began, pushing several of the country’s biggest rivers to critical levels. The Douro, which runs through Porto in the north, burst its banks in numerous places, flooding riverside towns, while the Tejo rose to its highest level since 1997. The Sado reached levels not seen since 1989.