VIGO, Spain — A one-two punch of winter storms has socked Europe with strong winds and rain over several days, leaving at least eight people dead.
The first storm swept across Portugal, Spain, and southern France on Thursday and Friday, and severe flooding hit parts of Britain over the weekend.
The storms killed at least six people in Spain, where high winds also downed power lines, scattered debris on roads and railroad tracks, and forced some flight cancellations.
Smaller towns in the north of the country were hit by flooding. Residents were evacuated on Friday from Reinosa, about 240 miles north of Madrid, while others watched from their balconies as vehicles were swept down the streets by the flood waters, according to local news reports.
Parks and public gardens across Madrid — including the Retiro, the 350-acre park in the heart of the city — reopened Sunday. They had been closed since Thursday because of fears that the strong winds could blow down tree branches and endanger visitors.
The northwestern region of Galicia remained on red alert on Sunday — the highest level — because of high winds caused by the second storm. About 27,000 homes were left without electricity in Galicia after power lines were destroyed.
The storms also killed at least two people in Portugal.
No injuries were reported in France, but strong winds that have buffeted the country since Friday set a record. Winds of up to 81 miles per hour were recorded in St.-Etienne-Bouthéon in central France, an intensity not seen since 1981, according to Météo France, the national meteorological service.
In Britain, the Environment Agency issued more than 270 flood warnings and alerts for England after many villages were struck by heavy rains and severe flooding over the weekend.
There were even reports of a tornado in the town of Chertsey, in southeastern England, the national weather service said Saturday.
Philip Passey, a Chertsey resident, told the BBC that he froze when he saw the tornado.
“The leaves were going horizontal,” he said, adding that the winds had lifted a trampoline in the air. “There was a huge roar, then nothing.”