Storm Austen is set to bring severe conditions to parts of France, with five departments placed under orange alert from Thursday evening, according to Le Monde.fr. The same outlet reports that rail services will be disrupted on Friday.
Coverage of the storm has focused on its strong winds. Le Figaro describes it as a "weather bomb" with gusts reaching up to 130 km/h, while 20 Minutes reports that Brittany and the Manche department are under orange wind warning from Thursday evening. Ouest-France reports gusts of up to 120 km/h along the Loire-Atlantique coast, with a night and morning under close watch.
Forecasters are also pointing to specific local conditions. Selectra reports that Météo-France expects winds of 130 km/h at Le Havre on Friday, and its coverage looks at when drivers should avoid the roads as Austen passes through.
The reporting so far centres on wind warnings and expected travel disruption. Le Monde.fr's headline links the orange alerts to rail problems the following day, while the regional outlets focus on coastal gusts and the timing of the strongest winds.
What to watch next: whether Météo-France extends the orange alerts to further departments, and how rail operators adjust Friday services as the storm moves across the country.
