Storm Austin hits Europe with 130 km/h winds: Czechia outlook

The first named storm of the 2026/2027 season, “Austin”, will reach the coast of Europe on Thursday evening, around southern Ireland and south-west England. The most serious impact is expected on Friday in the English Channel area, while the storm will reach Czechia only in a weakened form: winds will strengthen from the night into Saturday and last until Saturday evening.

The storm was named on Tuesday by the British Met Office. It is the first storm of the season under the shared naming system used by Britain, Ireland and the Netherlands.

Hurricane-force gusts on the coast

On Thursday the Atlantic cyclone will begin to deepen rapidly thanks to a strong jet stream. According to forecasts, the pressure at its centre could fall by more than 25 hPa in a day, which meets the common criterion for so-called explosive cyclogenesis.

Irish meteorologists have warned of a storm and high waves, and British forecasters have issued a high-wind warning. In southern England and Wales, gusts above 80 km/h are possible, and on the open coast noticeably more than 100 km/h. In north-western France, according to French forecasters, gusts on the Channel coast could reach 130 km/h. Strong winds are also expected in the Benelux countries.

The wind may uproot trees, snap branches, damage roofs and cause power outages and transport problems. Because some trees still hold their leaves, the strain on them will be greater. The storm brings heavy rain: in the British Isles and northern France nearly 100 millimetres of rain will fall in places, and local flooding is possible, especially where the ground is already saturated.

What awaits Czechia

On Friday the storm will move across the Channel towards the North Sea, but its exact track remains uncertain. If the centre comes closer to the coast, strong gusts could reach Germany as well. Over the North Sea the cyclone will begin to fill. In Czechia its influence will show mainly from the night into Saturday until Saturday evening: winds may strengthen mostly in the western half of the country. No significant precipitation is expected.

But Atlantic storms keep coming: over the weekend a new, possibly even stronger cyclone will form over the British Isles. Its cold front at the turn of the week may have a more noticeable effect on the weather in Central Europe too.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz