Approaching storm may bring highest winds in France and England for decades, forecasters warn

France, England and countries across western Europe are bracing for what meteorologists warn could be some of the highest wind speeds the region has witnessed in decades as Storm Ciarán hurtles toward coastlines and is set to make landfall on Wednesday evening. Residents were battening down the hatches in northwestern France as the national forecaster Météo-France warned of exceptional winds of up to 105 miles per hour (170 kilometers per hour) and waves almost 33 feet (10 meters) high are expected in the country’s northwestern tip. The U.K.’s weather forecaster, the Met Office, has issued severe weather warnings for winds of about 80 miles per hour (130 kilometers per hour) or more in coastal areas.