The China Mail - Heavy wind, rain, snow batters Europe

Britain's Met Office issued a "rare" red wind warning for the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall in southwestern England between 1600 GMT and 2300 GMT -- its highest level of alert.

"Exceptionally strong winds" of up to 160 kilometres (100 miles) per hour were expected, it said, warning that "very large waves will bring dangerous conditions to coastal areas".

It also issued an amber snow warning in Wales, central England and parts of northern England, predicting snow of up to 30 centimetres (11 inches) in some areas.

The UK's National Rail has said train services will be affected over the next two days, and called on people to avoid travel unless necessary.

No disruptions to air travel from London had yet been announced.

- School cancelled, travel disruption -

France was also bracing for Storm Goretti, which will bring gusts of up to 160 kilometres per hour in the northern Manche department.

Schools there will remain closed Friday, and weather alerts have been issued in 30 other northwestern regions.

"Take shelter and do not use your vehicle," the Manche prefecture warned on X, urging residents to prepare emergency lighting and a drinking water supply.

Europe's current extreme weather conditions have caused at least eight deaths, and on Thursday police in the Albanian city of Durres pulled a man's body from floodwater following days of heavy snow and torrential rain across the Balkans.

In Germany, heavy snow and winds in the north were set to affect schools, hospitals and transport links.

Up to 15 centimetres of snow (six inches) could fall in the north, and there was a risk of icy conditions in the south, according to the German Weather Service (DWD).

Temperatures this weekend could plunge to as low as -20C in certain areas, DWD meteorologist Andreas Walter told AFP.

Some areas have announced schools will shut on Friday, including in the northern cities of Hamburg and Bremen.

In Hamburg, the weather had already caused delays and cancellations on the public transport network on Thursday.

The national rail company Deutsche Bahn warned of significant delays in the coming days and has mobilised more than 14,000 employees to clear snow from tracks and platforms.

Leading car manufacturer Volkswagen will shut its northwestern Emden factory on Friday due to the snow, spokesman Christian Schiebold told AFP.

- 'Consequence of climate change' -

The DWD said the storm is expected to last until Saturday, with snowfall stopping on Monday.

Walter said the storm was an exception when compared to the last few years of milder winters, which were a "consequence of climate change".

"It's still possible to have a cold month with snow, even as temperatures rise due to climate change, but such events will become rarer in the future," he said.

The Norwegian Meteorological Institute meanwhile said there was only one region in Norway with temperatures above freezing on Thursday: the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.

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D.Peng--ThChM