SEE: Dramatic scenes of storm Ciaran battering north-west France
A crane is split in two, waves pummel coastal barriers and lightning strikes cut electricity
The Breton and English Channerl coastlines were hardest hit by the storm. Photos for illustrative purposes only
Skoles / Shutterstock
The ferocious storm Ciaran arrived in France yesterday evening (November 1), causing considerable damage as record-breaking winds battered the north-west overnight.
A lorry driver was also killed by a falling tree near the Belgian border and 1.2 million homes were left without electricity.
Read more: Driver killed and 1,300 homes evacuated as storm Ciaran hits France
Many photos and videos of dramatic scenes have been taken of the storm and The Connexion has compiled some below.
Violent waves, strong winds and fallen trees
In Brest (Bretagne) amongst other areas in France, winds were so strong that several trees fell.
In Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique) waves reached several metres high as winds whipped around coastal barriers during the night.
Fierce winds were still hitting the area at around 08:00 this morning.
Popular tourist destination Saint-Malo, on the English Channel coastline, has also seen dramatic waves battering its coastal defences.
A number of record-breaking winds were recorded – the video below shows where the strongest winds were measured.
Crane falls over in Brest causing evacuations
Several people had to be evacuated from their homes after a crane was split in two in Brest (Brittany) during the gales. Videos of the crane can be seen below.
“It is the first time this has happened,” an unnamed worker from the local authorities. “For the moment, we don't know what happened, it's still too early to say,” he added.
This video shows the damage in Brest early this morning after the most intense winds passed through.
Areas as far inland as Evreux (almost 100 km from the Channel coast) also saw damage.
Lightning strikes cut electricity for 1.2 millions homes
Enedis, the company that manages the national grid in France, said around 1.2 million homes in the north-west - mainly in Brittany - had lost power due to the storm. Most remained without power into the morning.
The video below shows a lightning strike immediately followed by blackouts in the area surrounding Jugon-les-Lacs in Côtes-d'Armor (Brittany).
You can see more videos of recent storms in France, including the damage caused by an autumnal cévenol episode in the south-east and a tornado in Gard earlier this week at the links below:
VIDEO: Tornado uproots trees in small town in southern France
SEE: Damage in south-east after storms lash coastal areas and inland
