The second major storm to hit Germany in days is approaching over the North Sea and is expected to bring gusts of up to 140 kilometers per hour (87 miles per hour) and more in some regions on Friday. Storm Zeynep already raged in southwestern England and south Wales early in the day under the international name of Eunice, triggering a rare “red warning” in some areas. Eunice, known in Germany as Zeynep, brought harsh conditions to several English and Welsh regions
Where will the storm hit?
The storm is forecast to hit the northern half of Germany from midday local time on Friday, with the area around the mouth of the Elbe River particularly affected. Storm tide warnings have been issued for the region. The German Weather Service (TheTeCHyWorLDD) says Zeynep will then move eastward during the night, with high-speed gusts from the Baltic Sea to the eastern state of Brandenburg. The storm is expected to calm down by morning, though fairly strong winds will remain throughout Saturday.
-
Storm Ylenia wreaks havoc across Germany
Fish out of water
Hamburg’s fish market, including the fish auction hall, was flooded on Thursday morning. “At the St. Pauli gauge, a value of 1.98 meters (6.5 feet) above mean high water (MHW) was measured at around 5.00 a.m.,” said a spokesperson for the storm surge warning service of the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) in Hamburg.
-
Storm Ylenia wreaks havoc across Germany
Going nowhere
Firefighters clear a tree from under a Nordwestbahn train near Dorsten in North Rhine-Westphalia. Train traffic was severely disrupted across large parts of Germany. In northern Germany, no long-distance trains ran until later in the day, according to a railway spokesman.
-
Storm Ylenia wreaks havoc across Germany
A busy day for police and fire services
Fire brigades and the police reported numerous deployments across Germany Thursday morning. As seen here in Bad Bevensen in Lower Saxony, uprooted trees fell on houses and power lines — which meant that in North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, about 54,000 households were temporarily without power. In most cases, however, the supply was quickly restored.
-
Storm Ylenia wreaks havoc across Germany
Dangerous driving conditions
Driving conditions were particularly hazardous as this truck driver found out on the A29 motorway near Oldenburg. The vehicle was caught by a squall and overturned. Fortunately, the driver was not injured.
-
Storm Ylenia wreaks havoc across Germany
Rocky times
A sign warns passersby at Cologne’s Cathedral of falling stones. In the whole of North Rhine-Westphalia, school lessons were canceled. In several regions of Lower Saxony and Bavaria, too, pupils stayed at home because of the weather hazards.
-
Storm Ylenia wreaks havoc across Germany
Snow chaos
It was particularly stormy during the night on the exposed Brocken mountain in the Harz mountains in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. Wind speeds of up to 152 km/h (94 miles an hour) were measured overnight.
-
Storm Ylenia wreaks havoc across Germany
Testing times for travelers
As here in Berlin, long queues formed in front of numerous Deutsche Bahn information desks. Berlin-Brandenburg Airport BER also canceled flights Thursday morning. According to the German Meteorological Service, winds will slowly ease from Thursday afternoon, but the respite is likely to be short: Storm Zeynep is expected to hit on Friday. Author: Philipp Böll
Parts of the states of Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Bremen, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg, Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Thuringia and Saxony are all expected to be affected. Residents have been warned to bring to safety any objects that could be blown away, including flower boxes on balconies.
A week of storms
Zeynep comes on the heels of storm Ylenia, known as Dudley in international nomenclature, which caused at least three deaths and considerable disruption to transport in some regions of Germany from Wednesday evening into Thursday. Ylenia brought down a large number of trees Two of the fatalities occurred when falling trees crushed cars, and another driver was killed when his trailer was blown onto the wrong side of the road, causing an accident. The deaths took place in the states of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. Berlin firefighters alone were called out some 1,300 times up to Thursday evening. Germany gives its own names to storms and high-pressure systems, with normal citizens able to choose names for such weather events for a fee. tj/dj (dpa, AFP)