Southern France is grappling with severe disruptions after Storm Nils battered the region on Thursday, February 12, 2026, cutting power to approximately 850,000 households. Authorities issued the highest-level weather alerts for multiple departments as winds exceeding 120 km/h uprooted trees and damaged infrastructure.
French power utility Enedis confirmed the scale of outages early Thursday, mobilizing over 3,000 technicians to restore electricity. The storm’s impact has disrupted transportation networks, with regional train services suspended and roads blocked by debris. Emergency services urged residents to avoid non-essential travel amid ongoing safety concerns.
Local officials emphasized the storm’s unprecedented intensity for February, noting parallels to extreme weather events increasingly linked to climate change. “This underscores the urgency of building resilient infrastructure,” stated a spokesperson for France’s meteorological agency.
Businesses and travelers face immediate challenges, with hotels and airports reporting cancellations. Analysts warn of short-term economic losses in agriculture and tourism, key sectors in the affected regions. Restoration efforts are expected to continue through the weekend.
