Storm Nils causes three deaths and power outages in France and Spain

Storm Nils swept across southwestern France and northeastern Spain in February 2026, resulting in three confirmed fatalities. In France, a truck driver in the Landes department died after a tree branch fell on his vehicle, and another man was killed in Tarn-et-Garonne. In Spain, a 46-year-old woman succumbed to injuries following a warehouse roof collapse in Barcelona. Wind speeds reached a peak of 162 km/h in Biscarrosse, leaving approximately 850,000 French households without electricity. Météo France issued red and orange alerts for several departments, citing extreme winds, flood risks for the Garonne river, and avalanche threats in the Alps. In Catalonia, six people were hospitalized due to the severe conditions which also disrupted air travel. Regional authorities are now monitoring a second weather system, Storm Oriana, which is forecast to bring further rain and snow to the region.