People living in Western France have been hit by severe flooding, forcing residents to evacuate their homes by boat after a succession of storms, including Storm Herminia, battered the region.
The storms, which also impacted Spain and the UK, followed closely on the heels of Storm Éowyn, compounding the already saturated ground in Normandy and Brittany.
Storm Herminia brought further disruption, causing road closures and triggering flood warnings from the national weather service.
Around Rennes, the worst affected area, approximately 400 people were evacuated. The city’s mayor described the situation as the most severe flooding in over four decades, with waters not expected to recede until Wednesday.
The earlier Storm Éowyn had already left a trail of destruction across Ireland and Britain, claiming two lives due to fallen trees and leaving over a million people without power.
Yellow weather warnings for wind and rain are in place across England and Wales.
Blustery showers and gusts of wind have brought disruption across the country, as the Met Office issued warnings for wind and rain which are affecting parts of the south of England, Wales, and the West Midlands.
Warnings across Wales and the West Midlands are expected to remain in place til 9pm on Tuesday, while the south of England can expect warnings to be lifted in the morning. These weather warnings come as 37 flood warnings and 164 flood alerts remain in place across the country.
Storm Herminia updates
Latest updates as of 18:00 on Mondy 01/27/2025
- Storm Herminia has caused significant disruption across the UK, prompting a major incident declaration in Somerset due to flooding and evacuations.
- Wind gusts reached up to 83 mph, and yellow weather warnings for wind and rain are in place across southern England and Wales, extending into Tuesday for some regions.
- British Airways canceled 26 flights at Heathrow, affecting thousands of passengers.
- Over 30 flood warnings and 159 flood alerts are in effect across England and Wales, with Somerset experiencing road closures and evacuations.
- 60,000 homes and businesses in Northern Ireland remain without power following Storm Eowyn, prompting calls for compensation.
- Follow the latest updates.
A 73-year-old British sailor was reported missing off the Atlantic coast near Bordeaux over the weekend, according to the regional maritime authority.
A British sailor was lost at sea after his yacht was found wrecked off the southwest French coast amid heavy storms over the weekend, French maritime authorities said.
The search came as Storm Herminia battered western France. France’s national weather agency on Monday placed the Ile-et-Vilaine department, in western France, on red alert due to the risks of major floods.
The distress beacon of the yacht was detected around 80 km (50 miles) west of Lacanau on Saturday afternoon, and a helicopter dispatched to the scene found the sailboat, the Prefet Maritime de l’Atlantique said in a statement late on Sunday.
The helicopter winched its two divers on board, who discovered an empty life raft.
A cargo vessel and the Spanish hospital ship Esperanza del Mar were also mobilised to search for the man.
After several hours of searching and due to a lack of any new information, the search was suspended in the early hours of Sunday.
France's weather service issued further flood and wind warnings for Tuesday for all regions on the western coast, from Brittany down to the Spanish border.
