Spain and Portugal were on alert Saturday for a storm expected to bring hurricane force winds up to 160 kilometres (100 miles) an hour, that should also hit several regions in France.

Spanish meteorological agency Aemet said the storm would be short but very violent and capable of causing serious damage.

Strong winds of around 120 kilometres (75 miles) an hour hit Spain’s Canary archipelago late Friday, in particular the islands of La Palma, Gran Canaria and Tenerife, though without resulting in major damage.

The storm, which developed in the Atlantic, also affected the Portuguese island of Madeira, still reeling from the flash floods sparked by heavy rains that wrecked the centre of the capital Funchal and killed 42 people a week ago.

The cost of the damage for the tourist island off northwest Africa is more than one billion euros, according to the head of the local government, Alberto Joao Jardim.

Despite the violent winds, “the night was calm and normal”, Madeira firemen said, and traffic at the main airport on Saturday morning was normal.

The whole of Portugal has been placed on “orange” alert by the civil protection authority, the second highest in the four-level scale.

Spain’s northern regions of Galicia, Castilla y Leon and Cantabria have all been placed on the highest “red” alert.

They are expected to face the brunt of the storm with winds of between 120 and 160 kilometres an hour forecast.

Spanish authorities advised people to avoid using their cars and taking mountain or sea walks.

In France, 66 of the 95 departments were placed on orange alert for 24 hours from 2000 GMT Saturday, as winds between 110 and 140 kilometres (70 and 85 miles) an hour are expected on the coast.

Meteo France said the storm would move rapidly, starting in the south and hitting many regions before it made its way towards Denmark by Sunday evening.