Storms wreak havoc across Germany
"Ylenia" was one of three storms which made their presence felt across Germany. Train services and flights were cancelled and schools shut. At least three people were killed.
Beaches blown away
Due to the winds North Sea islands like Wangerooge lost about 90% of their bathing beaches overnight.
Fish out of water
Hamburg's fish market, including the fish auction hall, was flooded twice within only a few days. "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.
Going nowhere
Train traffic was severely disrupted across large parts of Germany. In northern Germany, no long-distance trains ran for several hours.
A busy day for police and fire services
Fire brigades and the police reported numerous deployments across Germany. In Bad Bevensen in Lower Saxony, storm Ylenia 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.