Storm batters France, Spain: 3 dead, thousands without power
February 13, 2026
Three people died in weather-related accidents in France and Spain when storm Nils tore through the region, officials said on Friday.
Strong winds and heavy rain on Thursday caused flight, train, and ferry cancellations, creating chaos on the roads in southern France, northern Spain, and parts of Portugal. French forecasters said that the storm was "unusually strong."
The storm uprooted trees, flooded roads, and left thousands without power. In Portugal, a viaduct partially collapsed due to flooding.
One person was reported dead in Spain and two in France. In Spain, a woman died when the roof of an industrial warehouse collapsed on her. Dozens more people were hurt in weather-related accidents.
On Friday, French officials confirmed that a man had died after falling from a ladder in his garden. The day before, a truck driver was killed when a tree smashed through his windshield.
Thousands of homes in France are still without power
The French electricity network operator Enerdis announced that approximately 450,000 homes are still without power. This represents a 50% decrease from the previous day and is the result of the hard work of about 3,000 Enerdis staff members, the operator said.
"Enedis has restored service to 50 percent of the 900,000 customers who were without electricity," the company wrote around 6:00 a.m. (0500 UTC/GMT).
"Flooding complicates repairs because the fields are waterlogged and some roads are blocked," Enedis crisis director Herve Champenois told reporters on Thursday.
The French meteorological service has issued a red flood alert for the southern departments of Gironde and Lot-et-Garonne. The alert will remain in effect until Saturday due to the risk of flooding from the overflowing Garonne River. Meanwhile, 19 other departments are under an orange flood alert.
The forecasters expect the storm to move gradually eastward. Although the strong wind alert has been lifted throughout the country, four areas in the Alps remain on orange alert due to the risk of snow avalanches.
Edited by: Sean Sinico