Winter storm hits UK and France, disrupting travel and causing power outages

Storm Goretti brought high winds, rain and snow to the UK and northwestern France; more than 57,000 customers in the UK and about 380,000 homes in France lost power, and rail and airport services were disrupted.

Storm Goretti swept in off the Atlantic and affected parts of the United Kingdom and northwestern France. The system brought high winds, rain and snow and led to widespread power outages and travel disruption. The Met Office issued a rare red weather warning for southwestern England. Local and regional authorities reported blocked roads, school closures and interruptions to utilities in some areas. Noted developments: - More than 57,000 customers were without power across southwestern England, the Midlands and Wales, according to National Grid. - About 380,000 homes lost power in northwestern France, with most outages concentrated in Normandy, Enedis reported. - National Rail warned of disruptions across the UK, and regional train services were suspended in northwestern France; those suspensions were expected to last at least until Friday afternoon. - More than 250 schools in Scotland were closed, with some remaining shut for several days after heavy snowfall earlier in the week. Summary: Storm Goretti produced widespread outages and travel disruption across parts of the UK and northwestern France. Regional train suspensions in northwestern France were expected to continue at least until Friday afternoon, and many schools in Scotland remained closed. Undetermined at this time.