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A man has been killed and hundreds of thousands left without power as Storm Nils continues to batter swathes of France and Spain.
A truck driver in the French town of Mées died when a tree branch fell onto his vehicle, authorities in the southwestern prefecture of Landes announced on Thursday, as orange alerts for violent winds were implemented across France.
Grid operator Enedis said that some 850,000 homes were still without power, including almost half a million in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, after 100mph winds were recorded through the night.
People were advised to seek high ground and avoid unnecessary travel as the southwestern regions were swamped by major flooding.
Five people were also injured in Spain as the storm swept through Catalonia, felling trees, forcing schools to shut and prompting the cancellation of dozens of flights.
A civil protection volunteer was badly hurt and taken to the hospital after a tree fell in Sant Boi de Llobregat, and three workers in Sant Boi were injured while removing fallen trees. A fifth person was injured when a wall collapsed in Vilassar de Mar.
More than 40 flights departing from or arriving at Barcelona’s El Prat airport were cancelled on Thursday. Sources at the airport said restrictions remained in place that could see even more delays and cancellations.
Catalonia-based airline Vueling said it was offering rebooking options for passengers travelling on flights to or from Barcelona until 8pm local time, and on flights to or from Palma until 3pm.
The Catalan authorities suspended classes and sporting events and restricted non-essential healthcare services as wind gusts of over 105km/h (65mph) felled trees, disrupting road and rail traffic across the region.
All the city’s parks were closed because of the wind on Wednesday and Thursday, and residents were urged not to swim in the sea while red flags were flown on the beaches.
The wider Catalan civil protection services sent a mobile emergency alert warning the population to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel. Employees were advised to work from home where possible.
A red alert – the highest level – was issued in the northern regions of Galicia, Cantabria and the Basque Country after Wednesday’s arrival of Nils, the eighth storm to hit Spain this year.
Weather agency AEMET warned of waves up to nine metres (30ft) tall in some parts, and issued an “extraordinary danger” warning along the Basque coastline.
Spain and Portugal are still reeling from the effects of Storm Leonardo, which brought widespread flooding in early February and forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.
Storm Marta, a slow-moving Atlantic storm system, is currently moving through Portugal and southeastern Spain, where it has forced more than 100 roads to close this week due to risk of flooding, ice and landslides.
Successive storms gave Spain its gloomiest January in 30 years, recording the fewest hours of sunshine since 1996.
In Portugal, a weather phenomenon known as an “atmospheric river” – a wide corridor of concentrated water vapour carrying massive amounts of moisture from the tropics – brought new downpours, affecting the north to a greater extent, where authorities have evacuated about 3,000 residents.
Part of the A1 motorway between Portugal’s north and south collapsed on Wednesday night near the medieval city of Coimbra after a levee broke underneath.
Portugal is now also feeling the indirect effects of Storm Nils, which is not expected to directly hit the country.
Interior minister Maria Lucia Amaral resigned on Tuesday amid criticism from opposition parties and local communities over what they describe as the authorities’ slow and failed response to devastating Storm Kristin two weeks ago.
Storm Kristin swept across central mainland Portugal early on 31 January, with winds topping 200kph (124mph) and heavy rains causing widespread damage to thousands of homes, factories and critical infrastructure, and killing at least six people.
