Storm Austen Threatens France With 140 km/h Winds and Orange Alerts
Fifteen Departments Placed on Orange Wind Alert as Storm Austen Approaches
Storm Austen is tracking toward France with coastal wind gusts expected to reach 140 km/h, according to Météo-France. The weather service initially placed ten departments under orange vigilance on Thursday, October 22 at 22:00 before expanding the warning.
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The Tech TL;DR:
- Fifteen French departments are under orange wind warnings for Friday, October 23, 2026.
- Coastal areas face potential gusts up to 140 km/h, while inland zones expect 100 to 110 km/h winds.
- The British meteorological service named the system depression Austen, which is tracking across the English Channel.
Storm Austen Brings High Winds to Northern France
The depression, named Austen by the British meteorological service, is crossing the English Channel on Thursday night before shifting toward the north of the Hauts-de-France region on Friday. Météo-France forecasts wind speeds ranging from 100 to 110 km/h in inland areas, while coastal zones brace for peaks of 130 to 140 km/h. The alert covers departments in Brittany, Normandy, Loire-Atlantique, Nord, Pas-de-Calais, Somme, Yvelines, and Val-d’Oise. Côtes-d’Armor, Finistère, and Morbihan enter orange vigilance beginning Thursday at 22:00 as winds strengthen ahead of the system’s arrival.
Uncertainty in Forecast Models and Weekend Outlook
Forecasters note that uncertainties remain regarding the exact path of depression Austen. Neighboring departments currently under yellow alerts may see their warning levels raised during subsequent map updates. Following the storm’s passage, autumnal conditions will persist through the weekend, with additional wind events anticipated particularly on Sunday due to another system arriving from the British Isles. Saturday is projected to be the coolest day of the week, with temperatures hovering around 12 °C in Grenoble and Villefontaine, 13 °C in Vienne, and 7 °C in Le Bourg-d’Oisans.
Rapid deepening of Storm #Austen as it approaches Ireland, the UK and France seen by Meteosat-12 over the last 24 hours #StormAusten pic.twitter.com/mL9ms6HLLg
More on Storm Austen
STORM AUSTEN — ADVISORY 12Winds: 105 mphCWSIS: Category 2 (C2)MSLP: 973 mbNext Advisory: 11:00 PMPOTENTIAL THREAT AREASChannel Islands • England • France • Belgium • NetherlandsCURRENT SITUATIONStorm Austen is depicted as a powerful extratropical cyclone, with… pic.twitter.com/EvDQBQnaUw
STORM AUSTEN — ADVISORY 13Winds: 100 mphCWSIS: Category 2 (C2)MSLP: 974 mbNext Advisory: 2:00 AMPOTENTIAL THREAT AREASChannel Islands • Southern England • Northern France • Belgium • NetherlandsCURRENT SITUATIONStorm Austen is depicted as a powerful extratropical… pic.twitter.com/MIHpmtGH46
Storm Austen has been named by the Met Office bringing disruptive wind and rain from late Thursday and into Friday.Read our full news release here➡️ https://t.co/vLy5dI5DwX pic.twitter.com/GPMoCo6Qvr