The power outages are primarily affecting northern France, where the number of customers without electricity has at times been close to 400,000. The worst is in Normandy, but the regions of Brittany, Picardy and Île-de-France are also affected, according to the electricity network operator Enedis and French media.
Operator EDF announced that Flamanville, France's fourth-largest nuclear power plant, on the Channel coast, is being closed because it is not safe enough for staff to get to and from work.
Train services are also affected in several countries. “Due to the weather situation, long-distance services are suspended throughout northern Germany,” said major operator Deutsche Bahn (DB). Among the lines affected are Copenhagen-Hamburg, Hamburg-Berlin and Berlin-Hannover, according to DB.
Britain's Network Rail describes it as "very intense heavy snow" falling across parts of England and Wales. People are advised not to travel in areas including the Birmingham area, and "some lines may remain closed until Saturday."
Flights were also affected, with dozens of flights cancelled at Heathrow Airport and elsewhere in England.
A red warning, the highest level, was issued by the UK Met Office for dangerous winds in the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall in the southwest. It was lowered to yellow on Friday.
