A aircraft veers in the wind as it takes off at Leeds Bradford Airport, England, on Thursday. AP

High winds from Storm Pia on Thursday grounded flights in parts of the UK, suspended train service and stopped Scottish ferries in a preview of holiday travel disruptions likely to hit northern Europe as the storm moved east.

Meanwhile, in a development unrelated to weather, a surprise strike by French workers added to the travel chaos by shutting down Eurostar trains between London and Paris, leaving thousands of travellers stranded.

Powerful gusts knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes in northern England, toppled a truck on a highway in Manchester, tore part of the roof off an apartment building in Sheffield and - in a bit of good news - helped generate a record amount of electricity.

A gust of 185 kilometres per hour was recorded on Cairngorm Summit in the Scottish Highlands as the national meteorological service warned of winds up to128kph in northern Scotland and 88kph in northern England and Northern Ireland. There was also an ice and snow warning for the Shetland Islands, where schools were closed.

The storm struck as travellers took to the roads, rails and skies to get ahead of holiday traffic expected to peak Friday. As wind warnings expired on Thursday afternoon, the storm bore down on Europe and was expected to bring similar troubles there. British Airways grounded two dozen flights, British broadcaster Sky News reported.

A spokesperson for the airline did not provide further details but issued a statement saying it apologised to customers for having to “make some adjustments” to its schedule. National Rail said speed restrictions for trains were in place across Scotland, and parts of England and Wales.

Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport warned that “a significant number of flights” would be delayed or canceled due to the high winds. Dutch authorities closed a number of storm barriers on major rivers as a precaution due to high water levels.

The storm was expected to reach southern Sweden on Thursday evening with a thunderstorm, heavy snowfall and poor visibility across the region, the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute said.

In Germany, national railway operator Deutsche Bahn said there were delays and cancelations to trains in Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony, the two biggest states on the North Sea coast. Lines affected included those from Hannover to Berlin and Frankfurt, and from Hamburg to and from western Germany and Denmark.

Associated Press