France’s national weather service, Meteo France, said large parts of northern and western France, including the Paris region, were on alert for snow and black ice. | Image: (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Parts of Europe braced for Storm Goretti on Thursday, with the UK, France, and Germany being hit the hardest with big snow from the winter storm. Britain’s Met Office issued a “rare” red wind warning for the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall in Southwestern England, which is its highest level of alert. Red weather warnings are issued when the forecaster considers it to be “very likely that there will be a risk to life, with substantial disruption to travel, energy supplies, and possibly widespread damage to property and infrastructure.”

A snowman outside the Louvre, Paris. | Image: Vivre Paris

Winds are expected to gust as high as 100 mph in some regions, with many local authorities asking residents to stay inside and work from home. The storm has caused schools to close, and transportation across Europe has been disrupted. The United Kingdom’s National Rail said train services will be impacted over the next two days, and called on people to avoid travel unless necessary. In the Netherlands, more than 1,000 stranded passengers spent the night at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport earlier this week after roughly 800 flights were canceled on Wednesday.

Storm Goretti is not only producing high winds but is also bringing intense snowfall. Parts of central England are expected to receive as much as 12 inches (30 centimeters) in just a few hours. The storm is expected to affect other parts of northwest Europe this weekend, which have already endured snow, ice, and freezing temperatures in recent days, with additional heavy rain, strong winds, and snow.