Train and ferry traffic in Germany disrupted by storm ‘Zoltan’.

Storm “Zoltan” has reached Germany – travelers by train and ship began to feel the first effects on Thursday. In the evening there were many disruptions at Deutsche Bahn, especially in the north. In Lower Saxony, trees fell and the Christmas markets were closed. The fire brigade prepared for the deployment on Friday evening. In the meantime, people on the Elbe, Weser and Ems must prepare for heavy storm surges.

The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency predicted a heavy storm surge in Hamburg on Thursday evening. The waters of the Elbe could rise 2.5 meters above the average flood level. There is a risk of storm surges until approximately 11:25 PM.

The Federal Office predicted another heavy storm surge on the Elbe, Weser and Ems for Friday morning. Water levels are expected to rise to more than 2.5 meters above average flood levels between 8am and 12pm.

The storm surge is caused by the fact that the wind is currently blowing constantly strong from one direction and causes water to accumulate on the North Sea coast. “When the tidal wave passes the North Sea islands, it then flows up the rivers,” said Jennifer Brauch from the authority’s forecast services for the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. In view of the expected storm surge, Hamburg police warned against staying in low-lying areas around the Elbe during this period.

Many ferries between the Halligen and the mainland were canceled on Thursday, steamship shipping company Wyker announced. Other ferries have a special timetable on Fridays. Ferry traffic between Rostock and Gedser in Denmark was also suspended.

In the evening, the Fehmarnsund Bridge was completely closed, the police announced. The over 900 meter long bridge connects the mainland with the island of Fehmarn.

The wind pushes the water towards the coast

The impact is greater on the railways, which already attract more travelers than normal due to the upcoming holidays. In Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance transport, a number of connections were canceled, for example there was sometimes no train on the important connection from Berlin to Hannover, as the DB could see on the online information channels. A dpa reporter reported from a train from Hamburg to Hannover that Hannover station could not be reached due to overcrowding. Regional and long-distance trains were also canceled at Hamburg’s central station.

According to the railway, there were restrictions due to storm damage, for example on the Kiel-Hamburg, Hamburg-Westerland and Kiel-Hamburg-Bremen-NRW routes. The intercity connection between Hamburg and Copenhagen is also affected. The railroad also reported weather-related delays and cancellations in regional service on Thursday.

The DB has canceled the train connection for Thursday due to the many disruptions. Passengers could use their ticket on a later day. However, the DB also pointed out that the long-distance trains were already very busy due to the upcoming Christmas period.

The DB also expected restrictions on passenger transport on Friday. “In some cases the damage can only be fully assessed in daylight,” a railway spokesman told the German news agency on Thursday evening. “However, it is already clear that the damage is significant and that the restrictions on passengers will last at least until tomorrow.” All DB clearing teams are on the road with repair vehicles to remove trees from railway areas and repair overhead lines.

Tree falls near bus stop

Storm “Zoltan” brought many operations for the fire brigade on Thursday. There was initial damage in Bremen and Wilhelmshaven. According to the fire brigade, a 15-meter-high tree fell next to a bus stop in the Hanseatic city. So no one was injured. In southern Brandenburg, emergency services counted about 68 missions from the afternoon to the early evening hours. According to a spokesperson in Berlin, a person was injured by a fallen tree in the Hakenfelde district of Spandau.

The storm also made itself felt in other countries. The storm has already caused problems for travelers in Britain. Schools in the Shetland Islands remained closed. In some places trees fell or power went out. There were also temporary restrictions on air and rail traffic. In Denmark, isolated flights from Copenhagen airport were canceled, as were trains in the West Jutland region.

Meteorologists: Winds are expected to pick up again Friday afternoon

The German weather service expects wind gusts of 90 to 110 kilometers per hour for the North and Baltic Sea coasts on Friday morning, making even stronger hurricane gusts possible. Storm Zoltan continues to cause problems for the rest of the country. Although the wind will initially weaken there on Friday, it will pick up again in the second half of the day.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, persistent rain and storms left their mark. In Willebadessen near Paderborn a tree fell on a regional train. According to the police, he could not continue driving and had to be evacuated to the public road. 200 travelers were affected. In Bielefeld, 60 emergency services from the fire brigade and technical aid organization went to a horse farm due to the persistent rain.

The weather also influences many Christmas markets. As a precaution, several Christmas markets in North Rhine-Westphalia remained closed on Thursday, for example in Essen and Duisburg. Düsseldorf is closed in the afternoon. On Lake Tegernsee, two Christmas markets in Rottach-Egern and Bad Wiessee cannot open on Friday due to high wind speeds; in many cities, parks and cemeteries will remain closed until Saturday. (sda/dpa)