Storm Nils Leaves One Dead, Nearly 900,000 Without Power in Southern France
A lorry driver was killed and approximately 900,000 homes were left without electricity in southern France as Storm Nils swept across the country on Wednesday and Thursday, February 12th and 13th, 2026. The storm brought winds exceeding 160 kilometers per hour, triggering red alerts for floods, strong winds, and avalanches in several departments.
The fatality occurred overnight on Wednesday near Dax, in the southwestern Landes department, when a tree branch fell onto a vehicle traveling on the D824 road, according to local media reports. The driver’s identity has not been released.
As of Thursday morning, grid operator Enedis reported that roughly 900,000 customers were without power, with the majority of outages concentrated in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie regions. New Aquitaine accounted for approximately 498,000 homes affected, while 365,000 homes in Occitania were also without electricity.
Enedis has doubled its initial response, mobilizing 3,000 technicians to restore power. Hervé Champenois, crisis director for Enedis, stated during a press briefing that 1,500 technicians were initially pre-mobilized based on weather forecasts, and the company has reinforced its teams to reach a total of 3,000 personnel capable of carrying out repairs. The company also has 1,000 of its own technicians and 400 technicians from supplier companies, including tree surgeons, working to clear debris and facilitate repairs.
Wind gusts reached 162 km/h in Biscarrosse, 145 km/h in Pau, and 132 km/h in Toulouse, according to meteorological measurements shared on social media. Météo France, the state weather forecaster, placed four departments – Gironde, Lot-et-Garonne, Aude, and Savoie – under red alert for wind, flooding, and avalanche risks on Thursday morning. An additional 32 departments remained under orange alert.
Schools were closed in Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales, the two departments facing the strongest winds. Authorities urged residents to avoid non-essential travel amid ongoing safety concerns.
Vigicrues, the national flood monitoring service, warned that the Garonne river could overflow, potentially reaching levels comparable to those seen in January 2022. The Dordogne prefecture advised residents to remain indoors and postpone non-essential travel.
Numerous roads across the southwest were closed due to fallen trees, and rail services from Paris to the region faced significant disruption.
Champenois described the storm as “quite exceptional” in its scope, noting that it extended over a wider area than initially anticipated. To support restoration efforts, 170 kits of equipment have been deployed to the field, and 200 generators and helicopters are awaiting authorization to begin operations.
Enedis was able to restore power to some customers overnight through remote maneuvers, according to Champenois. He did not provide a specific timeline for full restoration of power to all affected homes.
The storm bears similarities to Storm Ciaran, which impacted northwestern France in November 2023, leaving 1.2 million homes without power in Brittany and Normandy. Like Ciaran, Storm Nils combines strong winds, falling trees, and heavy rainfall, creating conditions that could complicate repair efforts and lead to flooding.
