February 17, 2022
19:47
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At least four people were killed in severe storms that hit Central Europe today, with winds of up to 181 kilometers per hour causing widespread disruption to travel, Nova TV reported.
In Poland, gusts of up to 125 kilometers per hour caused severe damage to more than 500 homes, uprooted hundreds of trees and left 324,000 households in the country without electricity overnight. Police say two people were killed and two were injured after storms overturned a large crane at a construction site in Krakow. Another man was killed by a tree that fell on his car in the western part of the country.
The Czech Republic was also affected, leaving more than 300,000 households without electricity and severely disrupted traffic as fallen trees blocked roads and railways. The strongest winds with gusts of 181 km / h were registered on Snežka, the highest Czech mountain in the northern part of the country. Three children were taken to hospital with injuries after a car accident in the southwestern part of the country. The wind lifted the hood of the car, as a result of which the driver turned and collided head-on with another car. The winds also damaged or destroyed roofs across the country.
In the Netherlands, strong winds injured three people, including a police officer. The policeman was injured by a roof that broke away from a commercial building in Duven, near Arnhem, public television NOS reported. Firefighters also had to pull two people out of a car after a tree fell on it in the southern town of Maasluis. They were later taken to hospital. Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport has reported flight delays of up to 45 minutes, and some rail services have been canceled.
The British Meteorological Service issued a rare “red code” warning for Thursday and Friday, warning of “danger to life” from strong gusts in the South West of England and South Wales.
Ireland also warned of “strong and destructive winds” and the possibility of flooding along the coast.
In northern Germany, a 37-year-old driver was killed by a fallen tree near the town of Bad Bevensen. Dramatic footage of a wave smashing the windows of a ferry on the Elbe River has been widely circulated on social media. Schools have been closed in several provinces, and police have warned residents to stay home and avoid parks and forests. The strongest winds were felt on Broken, the highest point in the Harz Mountains in Central Germany, with a speed of up to 152 km / h. Long-distance trains were halted throughout northern Germany, including Hamburg, Berlin and Bremen, no earlier than noon on Thursday, the national railway operator Deutsche Bahn said. Lufthansa has canceled 20 flights to Hamburg, Berlin and Munich from Frankfurt. The storms are expected to continue on Friday and Saturday, with hurricane-force winds expected in many areas.
Belgium has said it is putting its coastal areas under the orange alert code, the second highest level after the red alert.
