Paris issues wind warning for Thursday due to bomb cyclone

Storm Ciaran will batter the northwestern coast of France with gusts of up to 130 km/h

On Wednesday night, weather forecasts are indicating that Storm Ciaran will move on from the south of England towards the northwestern part of France and that its effects will be felt as far as Paris.

That’s why, the Paris City Hall has issued a state of alert to the residents and visitors of the French capital so that they can prepare for strong winds and rain. In the Ile-de-France region, where Paris is located, wind speeds can reach up to 100-110 km/h on Thursday, according to Météo France.

After a brief calm on Wednesday evening, Storm Ciaran will approach the region in the first part of the night, with winds reaching 70 to 80 km/h before midnight. 

The authorities are warning that due to the unpredictability and fluctuation in weather conditions, Parisian parks, gardens and cemeteries could be closed depending on how the situation evolves. If you’re planning to visit certain locations and sites in the city, it would be best to inform yourself whether they’ll be open on the pages of the places concerned.

In addition, people are advised to take precautions and avoid walks in the forests and parks. Likewise, it's best not to go down in basements when there are heavy rainfalls.

Alerts for Brittany and Normandy coasts

Storm Ciaran is the result of unusually low atmospheric pressure conditions, which intensifies the strength of the cyclone. In fact, that type of storm is known as ‘explosive cyclogenesis’, or as it is more commonly termed a ‘bomb cyclone’, due to the rapid lowering of pressure, which leads to strong gusts of wind accompanied by heavy precipitation.

The French meteorological service has issued a red alert for the coastal departments of Finistère, Côtes d’Armor and Manche, located in the Brittany and Normandy regions. There the wind speeds are expected to reach up to 130 km/h.