On Thursday, October 23rd, storm “Benjamin” swept through multiple European countries including France and the Netherlands, disrupting air and train travel at major airports across Europe. The French meteorological agency has issued orange alerts for 19 provinces, predicting extreme conditions such as strong winds, heavy rain, floods, and huge waves.
According to various media reports, on Thursday, the powerful storm “Benjamin” practically engulfed the entire country of France, with 19 provinces under orange alert due to strong winds. Most regions in France experienced gusts of over 100 kilometers per hour, with some areas reaching up to 140 kilometers per hour. As a result, all parks in Paris have been closed until further notice.
The French power distribution company has reported that since Wednesday night, the strong winds have been impacting the power system, resulting in over 100,000 households experiencing power outages as of 8:30 am on Thursday. The railway company announced the suspension of some high-speed train services in the northern, western, and southwestern regions, with all high-speed trains between La Rochelle and Paris canceled.
Meanwhile, on Thursday afternoon, the Dutch meteorological agency officially raised the alert level to orange for the western coastal areas, expecting wind speeds to exceed 100 kilometers per hour at night. This led to severe disruptions in transportation across the Netherlands. Hundreds of flights taking off and landing at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport were either canceled or delayed. Additionally, the Dutch railway company implemented emergency operating plans, resulting in the cancellation of some train services.
According to the Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute, the storm is expected to continue until Friday, October 24th, after which the wind force will gradually weaken from south to north.
Furthermore, due to the impact of storm “Benjamin,” major airports in Europe such as London Heathrow Airport, Brussels Airport in Belgium, and Berlin Brandenburg Airport in Germany have experienced a significant number of flight delays and cancellations.