storm
Storms and rain cause disruption
A bad weather front is moving over the Harz Mountains when the sun is low. photo
© Matthias Bein/dpa
Stormy weather prevails in large parts of Germany. The timetables of several ferry connections on the North and Baltic Seas have already been disrupted. The weather this weekend brings change.
There was a risk of a storm surge for the North Sea coast of Lower Saxony. The afternoon flood on the East Frisian coast is expected to be around 0.75 meters higher than the mean flood, said the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) in Hamburg. In the Weser area, the water level will be one to one and a half meters higher than normal.
Ferry traffic restricted
Because of the storm, travelers on the North Sea coast of Lower Saxony had to prepare for traffic disruptions. Ferry traffic to and from the islands of Spiekeroog, Langeoog and Wangerooge, among others, has been completely stopped. The ferry connection between Rostock and Gedser in Denmark was also stopped on the Baltic Sea.
Numerous fallen trees caused disruption to road and train traffic. Near Bad Driburg in East Westphalia, a regional train carrying around 50 passengers derailed after hitting a tree lying on the tracks in the morning. No one was injured, a spokesman for Nordwestbahn said. There was also an accident on subway line 1 in Hamburg due to a fallen tree. In Schleswig-Holstein, Autobahn 21 from Bad Oldesloe was completely closed in the southbound direction after a tree fell onto the road.
ScotRail suspends operations due to storm
The storm caused traffic disruptions and damage in Great Britain during the night. With wind speeds of up to 156 kilometers per hour, “Jocelyn” swept across Wales, Scotland and large parts of England. Scottish rail operator ScotRail completely suspended operations on Tuesday evening. The search for a person who reportedly fell into the sea was suspended in south Wales overnight. There was some flooding in the northern English city of York.
At least in Germany, the storm will subside on Thursday – but only temporarily. After a brief calming, the wind increased again on Friday, said Tobias Reinartz from the German Weather Service in Offenbach. The meteorologist predicted “at least temporarily stormy conditions” especially for the north – although not as strong as on Wednesday. Temperatures remained quite mild for January.