On Sunday, October 29, a spectacular scene unfolded at the Pointe de Maumusson in the southern part of Oleron Island, with a sandy islet surrounded by waves, illustrating the region's intense erosion. The Céline storm caused significant damage, particularly in the Loire-Atlantique and Morbihan regions, resulting in overflowing and flooding.
Hundreds of interventions were carried out by firefighters, and evacuations were necessary, with tidal coefficients exceeding 100. Other incidents, including floods, fallen trees, and power outages, were also reported in various departments. Eight French departments were placed under an orange weather alert due to adverse meteorological conditions.
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On Friday, November 3, the Ciaran storm caused significant damage in France, with estimates exceeding 300 million euros, mainly related to building damages. The storm led to major disruptions, affecting up to 480 million euros in damages according to some estimates.
The human toll rose to at least 12 deaths in Europe and 47 injuries in France, although the situation could have been much worse without the intervention of citizens and emergency services, who carried out nearly 11,000 operations. Brittany was particularly hard-hit by strong winds, reaching 207 km/h at Pointe du Raz, resulting in power outages for 1.2 million people and other disruptions.
On Sunday, November 5th, Gironde, France, was hit by Storm Domingos, characterized by wind gusts reaching up to 150 km/h. At the peak of the storm, 26,000 households experienced power outages, with 11,000 still without electricity for several hours. The hardest-hit areas were Bassin and Médoc. Thankfully, there were no reported fatalities, and no critical infrastructure was affected. Firefighters received 2,980 calls and conducted 117 interventions, primarily related to fallen trees and power lines. Law enforcement also handled 150 incidents, mostly involving road obstacles and flooding.
By the end of the day, Gironde was placed under an orange flood alert, along with Dordogne, Charente, and Charente-Maritime. The storm struck the Gironde coast in the early evening, with strong winds reaching 152 km/h in Lège-Cap-Ferret, 132 km/h in Bordeaux, and 116 km/h in Montalivet. The 800 Gironde firefighters were actively responding to the storm's aftermath throughout the night to address challenging weather conditions.
El Salvador had declared a state of emergency in anticipation of the arrival of Tropical Storm Pilar on October 31. The state of emergency covered the entire country, allowing for the mobilization of resources and the closure of schools. The storm had also threatened Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, with authorities preparing for potential flooding and landslides.
Three deaths were reported in El Salvador and one in Honduras, with hundreds of evacuations in these countries and in Guatemala. On November 1, Tropical Storm Pilar was located approximately 140 kilometers off the coast of El Salvador, generating gusty winds of 95 km/h.
On Friday, November 3rd, in Spain, a severe forest fire broke out in the coastal region of Valencia. Fueled by winds gusting at 120 km/h, the flames rapidly consumed between 1000 and 1400 hectares of land. This situation forced over 800 people to evacuate their homes.
Despite the mobilization of 200 firefighters, the strong winds complicated the firefighting efforts, even preventing the use of aircraft to extinguish the fire. Authorities were hoping for an improvement in the weather conditions to intervene effectively.