Storm sweeps northern Europe, causing damage and delays

The country’s most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, closed schools as a precaution, and authorities in several other states said students could stay home if they wanted.

Meteorologists said they measured winds speed of up to 135 kilometers per hour (84 miles per hour) in low-lying areas of Germany.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Experts noted that advances in weather forecasting and storm defenses have helped prevent serious disasters such as the deadly floods which hit Hamburg exactly 60 years ago, killing more than 300 people.

Still, authorities in neighboring Denmark warned of elevated water levels along the North Sea coast. Large ships were banned from sailing up the Lower Elbe river that connects the port of Hamburg to the sea.

In the Czech Republic, hundreds of thousands of people were temporarily without electricity after trees fell on power lines.

Rail services were delayed in parts of the Netherlands due to trees falling on tracks. Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport warned travelers that flights would be delayed due to the high winds.

Cyclonic weather over the north Atlantic is expected to send further storms toward Europe in the coming days.

Germany’s national weather service DWD predicts that Storm Zeynep will hit the country on Friday.