Shortly before Christmas, storm “Zoltan” hits Germany. The strongest impacts are in the north – travelers in particular have to struggle with the effects of the storm.
Storm “Zoltan” is causing a lot of disruption to the Christmas travel plans of many rail customers. Due to storm damage, there will be delays and train cancellations in Deutsche Bahn’s nationwide long-distance services on Friday, as the railway announced on its website. Railway lines in the north are particularly badly affected. There could also be cancellations or delays on the connections between Hamburg and Frankfurt as well as Hamburg and Munich, and some stops could also be omitted.
“All clearance crews on the move”
Fallen trees damaged overhead lines or blocked routes, especially in northern Germany, but also in parts of Hesse. “The DB is using heavy equipment to get the routes open again as quickly as possible. All clearing crews are on the road with repair vehicles, for example to remove trees from track areas and repair overhead lines,” said a railway spokeswoman.
The company recommends that its passengers check the timetable information in the “DB Navigator” app or on bahn.de before starting their journey. All passengers who have to postpone their planned trip on Friday due to the storm can use their ticket at a later date, according to Deutsche Bahn.
The train connection has been cancelled. The ticket is valid for the journey to the original destination, even with a changed route. Seat reservations can be canceled free of charge.
Hamburg fish market completely flooded
In Hamburg, the heavy storm surge pushed the water of the Elbe ashore during the night, completely flooding the Hamburg fish market and the surrounding streets. The water was sometimes waist high. Since not all the cars were driven away in time, they too were flooded. During the night, the fire brigade and police were out in the region to search for people in the vehicles that were still parked in the flood area.
Due to the expected effects of the severe storm surge, the central disaster team of the Hamburg Interior Authority has been on duty since Friday morning. “A water level of 5.20 meters is expected, which corresponds to water level level 1 and with this the disaster management team begins its work,” said a spokesman for the interior authority of the German Press Agency in Hamburg. This also means that the sirens were already going off in the Elbe area around 7:15 a.m.
“Zoltan” should get stronger again on Friday evening
“Zoltan” will continue to bring strong winds along the coast on Friday. The wind is expected to ease slightly over the course of the day, but then increase again in the evening hours, as Anne Wiese, meteorologist at the German Weather Service (DWD), said on Friday morning. According to the DWD, hurricane-like gusts of more than 100 kilometers per hour are possible in the evening. The wind is expected to decrease slightly in the second half of the night and then become stronger again on Saturday evening, although not as strong as on Friday.
Warning of severe storm surge on Friday morning
There is a risk of a severe storm surge on Friday for the German North Sea coast and Hamburg. In the Elbe area of Hamburg, the police warned of a severe storm surge in the morning. According to the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), the water levels will then rise to around 3 meters above mean high water. According to police, the affected area should be avoided. According to the information, the flood peak is expected at around 11 a.m. at the St. Pauli gauge with a height of up to 3.05 meters above the mean flood level.
The experts from the BSH also predicted severe storm surges on Friday for the East Frisian coast and the Weser area. Flood waters there are expected to be 2.5 meters to 3 meters above average in the morning and midday. On the North Frisian coast, water levels of 2 meters to 2.5 meters above mean high water are expected. A storm surge is considered severe if the water level is 2.5 meters above mean high water.
Serious accidents in Schleswig-Holstein
In many places, “Zoltan” also caused traffic accidents, for example in Schleswig-Holstein: In Fahrdorf near Flensburg, a person crashed his car into a tree on the road and was seriously injured. The tree fell onto the road on Thursday evening, the police said. The police were initially unable to provide any information about the person’s identity on Friday morning. The injured person was taken to a hospital.
A truck was tipped onto its side by “Zoltan” on the B200 in Janneby and thrown into a ditch. The driver was slightly injured in the accident on Thursday evening.
Falling Christmas tree kills woman at Christmas market
There was also a severe storm in Belgium: a woman was killed by a 20-meter-high Christmas tree at a Christmas market. The coniferous wood could not withstand a strong gust of wind on Thursday evening, the Belga news agency reported.
The tree fell on three people, one of whom died of serious injuries in hospital a short time later. The scene of the accident at the Christmas market in the town of Oudenaarde was cordoned off and examined after the accident.
Storm wind tears copper sheet roof off fire station building
A piece of roof made of copper sheet metal, approximately five by six meters in size, was torn from a building belonging to the Plüderhausen fire department in Baden-Württemberg due to strong winds. The fire department recovered the piece of roof with a crane, said a police spokesman. The affected area on the house was covered again. No one was injured in the incident. According to the police, the operational measures ran from Thursday evening into the night.
“Zoltan” effects on Deutsche Bahn