Storm "Zeynep": Several dead by "historic hurricane" – rail traffic further restricted

Hurricane low “Zeynep” hits Germany. A storm surge causes flooding in Hamburg. Other parts of the country are also affected.

+++ 9.30 p.m .: The storm series in Germany continues on Sunday (February 20th, 2022). According to the German Weather Service (DWD), there will initially be strong to stormy gusts in the lowlands on Sunday. “It could get really turbulent and sometimes dangerous on Monday night,” said Adrian Leyser from the DWD’s weather forecasting center about the approaching storm “Antonia”. Heavy gusts of wind or hurricane-force gusts cannot be ruled out. “The trees, which were already affected by the previous storms and are standing in partially heavily softened soil, can easily fall over,” said Leyser. The weather is not expected to calm down until Tuesday (02/22/2022).

Train passengers must continue to expect severe impairments. “Due to storm damage, there will be delays and train cancellations in northern Germany and North Rhine-Westphalia until at least Monday afternoon,” Deutsche Bahn said on Saturday (February 19, 2022) and called for travel to and from Hamburg and Bremen to be avoided.

“The forecast for Sunday and Monday remains difficult,” said DB spokesman Achim Stauss. There is damage to the railway infrastructure on more than 1000 kilometers of track. Clearing crews are on duty around the clock to clear fallen trees from the routes and repair overhead lines.

+

Storm “Zeynep”: Several dead by “historic hurricane” – rail traffic further restricted

+++ 16:31: The storm “Zeynep” has caused great devastation in Germany. A severe storm surge was reported from the North Sea coast of Lower Saxony and from Hamburg. Water masses washed away cars in the Hamburg Hafencity area. Strand was washed away on Wangerooge and Langeoog.

In rail traffic, especially in northern Germany, there are still severe disabilities on Saturday. A spokesman for Deutsche Bahn announced that more than a thousand kilometers of railway had been damaged by the storms of the past few days. “North of Dortmund, Hanover, Berlin no long-distance trains can run, not even between Berlin and Halle-Leipzig.” There are also “area-wide” failures in regional traffic in northern Germany.

“We are doing everything we can to gradually resume train traffic as quickly as possible,” the spokesman assured. 2000 emergency services and helicopters were therefore on the road to check routes for damage or to repair them. Deutsche Bahn again asked all passengers to “postpone planned trips to the storm regions if possible”. There were also obstacles to air travel. Numerous roads and bridges were also temporarily closed.

+

Storm “Zeynep”: Several dead by “historic hurricane” – beach on Langeoog washed away

+++ 12.30 p.m .: The storm “Zeynep” damaged the sandy beach on the East Frisian island of Langeoog. “In parts, there is no longer a beach, the edge goes up to the dunes,” said the island’s mayor, Heike Horn. But she couldn’t say anything about the extent of the damage. The Lower Saxony State Office for Water Management, Coastal Defense and Nature Conservation (NLWKN) has to assess that, according to Horn. people were not injured.

At many gauges on the North Sea coast in Lower Saxony, the water levels have exceeded the threshold for a severe storm surge because of “Zeynep”. This limit was exceeded, especially at the estuaries, and at some levels it was only a few centimeters short, said a NLWKN spokesman in the north on Saturday of the German Press Agency. Due to the increased water levels, especially in the river funnels, all barrages have been closed in the meantime – including the large Ems barrage near Gandersum.

+

Storm “Zeynep”: Storm surge reaches Hamburg

+++ 09.00 a.m .: As a result of the storm “Zeynep” Hamburg has reached a severe storm surge*. At the level in Hamburg’s St. Pauli district, 3.75 meters above the mean high water were measured on Saturday morning (February 19, 2022), as reported by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH). From a level of 3.50 meters it would have been a very severe storm surge, according to the authorities. But the water level was already beginning to drop.

Because of the flooding, several cars in the Hamburg HafenCity area were driven over the banks of the Elbe, as the Hamburg fire brigade announced on the online service Twitter. Emergency services rescued two people from a vehicle with a rubber dinghy. They were treated by ambulance and then taken to a hospital.

According to their own statements, the Hamburg fire brigade completed 654 weather-related operations by 6 a.m. Mostly it was about fallen trees or branches that threatened to fall. The fire brigade also had to be deployed because of fallen fences, flagpoles or advertising posters, as well as because of damage to roofs and facades. Several times she had to remove trees that had fallen on the U-Bahn and S-Bahn tracks. According to the current status, there were no injuries.

+

Storm “Zeynep”: Three dead by “historic hurricane”

Update from Saturday, February 19th, 2022, 6:50 a.m .: At least nine people died in Germany and other countries on Friday (February 18th, 2022) due to the hurricane “Zeynep”. In Germany alone, three deaths were counted. In the Lower Saxony municipality of Wurster Nordseekueste, a man fell from a roof during the storm and died. The 68-year-old tried to repair the damaged roof of a stable on Saturday night, the police said. He broke through the roof and fell about ten meters down.

According to the police, a driver died on Friday evening near Altenberge in North Rhine-Westphalia when he crashed his car into a tree lying across the road. The trapped 56-year-old died at the scene of the accident. The WDR had previously reported. At about the same time, a man was driving his car in nearby Saerbeck when the vehicle overturned, according to the police. The 33-year-old also died at the scene of the accident.

In Bremen, a 55-meter construction crane collapsed during the storm. During the night of Saturday, the crane crashed into an office building that was still under construction. “It looks devastating,” said a fire department spokesman. A truck driving past was also caught by the crane. The driver was unharmed. Another 90 meter high crane was not damaged. The debris is now blocking the surrounding roads. The removal of the crane will take until the beginning of next week. The police could not provide any information on the extent of the damage.

Storm depression “Zeynep”: Danger to life – people should not be outdoors

+++ 10 p.m.: Because of the storm “Zeynep”, several areas in Bremen had to be evacuated on Friday evening (02/18/2022). There is a risk of flooding, police said. The Pauliner Marsch, Stadtwerder and Rablinghauser Deich areas would therefore be evacuated. The people were therefore asked by loudspeaker announcement to leave the area and avoid it. These are mostly allotment gardens.

The German Weather Service (DWD) issued comprehensive sub-weather warnings for the north, middle and east of Germany because of “Zeynep”. There is a risk of “storms with extreme hurricane gusts on the North Sea and on the Brocken, as well as widespread hurricane gusts and hurricane-like gusts in the north,” said the German Weather Service. Deutsche Bahn gradually stopped operating in large parts of the country from Friday afternoon.

+

On Friday afternoon, a tree fell on a moving car on the A7 near Fulda in Hesse. According to police, the driver suffered minor injuries. The 26-year-old passenger, however, suffered serious injuries.

Meteorologists and fire brigades called on the population to be extremely careful because of the storm “Zeynep”. If possible, people should stay out of the open and refrain from walking and driving that are not absolutely necessary.

German Weather Service warns: Storm “Zeynep” only reaches its full force at night

The German Weather Service (DWD) expects the storm to reach its full force during the night. For the evening and night, the DWD warned of extreme hurricane gusts of magnitude 12 at up to 160 kilometers per hour on the North Sea. Wind speeds of more than 146 kilometers per hour have already been measured on Borkum, as reported by the NDR. Storm low “Zeynep” has already reached 108 kilometers on Spiekeroog.

Inland around Osnabrück, the weather service is already reporting gusts of more than 122 kilometers per hour. According to the NDR, meteorologists expect the storm to gain strength from 9 p.m. According to the German Weather Service, the situation could relax again in the second half of the night.

Storm “Zeynep”: Storm a “historic hurricane” – rail traffic in the north stopped

+++ 19:07: Heavy rain as a harbinger of the hurricane “Zeynep” partially flooded Autobahn 7 in Hamburg south of the Elbe tunnel on Friday afternoon so much that one lane was blocked. A spokesman for the traffic control center said the lane could not be used before the water had been pumped out. There are only two tunnel lanes available to the south and three to the north. According to NDR traffic information, the cars between Hamburg-Stellingen and the Elbe tunnel only made slow progress over a distance of around five kilometers.

Storm low “Zeynep”: German weather service warns of severe weather conditions and strong gusts

“Zeynep” should begin to rage late on Friday, and the German Weather Service (DWD) expected the hurricane to reach the North Sea coast around midnight on Saturday night. It is the second severe storm situation in Germany within a short period of time. It should remain stormy at least until Monday, according to the DWD. “It just doesn’t calm down,” said one meteorologist. The Netherlands and Ireland reported the first fatalities, and the hurricane also caused chaos in Great Britain.

According to the experts, the focus of the new storm should be the northern half of Germany by Saturday morning. However, the DWD also issued severe weather warnings for hurricane-force gusts for more southern regions – parts of Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and for northern regions of Bavaria

+

Storm “Zeynep”: Rail traffic in the north stopped

+++ 16:58: Storm low “Zeynep” is already causing chaos in Germany. Deutsche Bahn has stopped all passenger transport in the northern half of the country and in parts of NRW. Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Hamburg, Bremen, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and parts of North Rhine-Westphalia are affected, the company said.

Because of the impending storm, the Hessian State Railway (HLB) partially stopped train traffic on Friday for safety reasons. The North Hessian Transport Association (NVV) also closed several train lines by Saturday morning. Around 50 incoming flights were canceled at Frankfurt Airport. In Wuppertal, the storm on Friday afternoon temporarily paralyzed the suspension railway.

Storm low “Zeynep”: weather experts and police warn the population

The German Weather Service (DWD) issued nationwide sub-weather warnings for the north, middle and east of Germany. Only Baden-Württemberg, the vast majority of Bavaria and the southern regions of Hesse, Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate were not affected. Accordingly, hurricane gusts threatened wind speeds of up to 140 kilometers per hour, on the North Sea coast and in the area of the Elbe estuary also 150 kilometers per hour or more. There were tightened warnings about so-called extreme storms.

The storm should arrive in the afternoon and rage mainly on Saturday night. Meteorologists and fire brigades called on the population to exercise extreme caution and prepared for numerous operations. If possible, people should stay out of the open and refrain from walking and driving that are not absolutely necessary. In particular, warnings were given against entering forests and parks. Building damage and roadblocks are possible.

+

Storm “Zeynep”: Storm a “historic hurricane” – Bahn partially stops traffic

+++ 3:04 p.m .: Deutsche Bahn is also gradually phasing out long-distance traffic in northern Germany because of the storm. For the rest of the day, there will be no more long-distance trains north of Dortmund, Hanover and Berlin, the company announced on Friday. According to Deutsche Bahn, no ICE or IC trains should run throughout Friday on the east-west route between Berlin via Frankfurt am Main to Amsterdam.

Deutsche Bahn had previously announced that regional traffic in Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Hamburg, Bremen and parts of NRW would be discontinued during the course of the day. No long-distance trains ran all day on the connections from Amsterdam to Berlin and Frankfurt.

Storm “Zeynep”: Storm a “historic hurricane” – Heavy storm surge expected

+++ 2.30 p.m .: Coastal protection expects high water levels on the Lower Saxony North Sea coast in view of the new hurricane low “Zeynep” on Saturday night. “We assume that we will have to deal with a severe storm surge,” said the spokesman for the Lower Saxony State Office for Water Management, Coastal Protection and Nature Conservation (NLWKN), Carsten Lippe, on Friday (February 18, 2022) of the Deutsche Presse- Agency. Weather experts warn of a “historic hurricane”, reports the NDR. According to Andreas Friedrich from the German Weather Service (DWD), gusts of up to 160 kilometers per hour are possible.

The storm surge warning service of the state’s own authority expects the flood on Saturday night to be between 2.25 and 2.5 meters higher than the average high tide. This means that the threshold according to the NLKWN definition of a severe storm surge is exceeded, said Lippe. Beaches and harbor areas could be flooded. So far, according to NLWKN information, there have only been many light storm surges in this storm surge season.

Severe weather in Germany: storm low “Zeynep” – restrictions on rail traffic

+++ 12.03 p.m .: Deutsche Bahn reacted to the first hurricane low on Thursday and stopped long-distance traffic in several federal states. The railway has now announced restrictions due to the second storm “Zeynep”. In parts of northern Germany and North Rhine-Westphalia, regional traffic is gradually being phased out, the company said on Friday.

The cessation of regional traffic is announced for the course of the day in Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Hamburg, Bremen and parts of NRW, as reported by the German Press Agency. The protection of travelers and employees has priority, it said. The German Weather Service warned of severe weather with extreme hurricane gusts and hurricane-like gusts, especially for the northern parts of the country and for central Germany from the afternoon.

“Whoever can, we recommend traveling by train from the late afternoon to an earlier time,” recommended the railway. Passengers can use their tickets booked for the period from Thursday to Sunday flexibly until February 27 or cancel free of charge if they postpone trips because of the storm.

+

Storm: When “Zeynep” reaches the North Sea coast – DWD informed

+++ 11.12 a.m .: Hurricane low “Zeynep” is approaching Germany and could be even more dangerous than storm “Ylenia”. According to the German Weather Service (DWD), the hurricane predicted for Saturday night will reach the North Sea coast around midnight. Partly violent wind speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour are expected.

In the second half of the night, “Zeynep” hits the Baltic coast and then gradually fades away. “This means that the risk of severe weather has been banned for the time being,” said a DWD meteorologist in Offenbach on Friday. Nevertheless, according to the DWD, it will remain stormy in Germany at least until Monday. “There is simply no peace,” said the meteorologist. The stormy weather was accompanied by an uncomfortable mix of rain and sleet showers. Above 400 meters snow falls in many places, in the Alps the snowfall lasts longer.

Storm “Zeynep”: Expert warns of “extraordinarily strong” hurricane

+++ 10.27 a.m .: The strongest storm in 50 years threatens on the North Sea coast of Germany from Friday (February 18th, 2022). This is reported by Focus Online. Hurricane “Zeynep” is said to rage at a speed of up to 180 kilometers per hour. Jan Schenk, an expert from The Weather Channel, warns of imminent danger to life and advises: “Please stay at home from tonight.”

The highest wind peaks since 1976 are said to occur on the coast of Lower Saxony between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. As a result, there is a risk of a severe storm surge, especially on the Weser and Elbe. “I’ve never seen such high wind speeds in the North Sea!” says Jan Schenk. “Wind speeds like this are expected in hurricanes. This hurricane is extraordinarily strong and life-threatening!” According to Schenk, it may actually be the “strongest storm in recent decades”.

Storm in Germany: Fish market in Hamburg under water again

+++ 8.15 a.m .: After the storm “Ylenia” in Germany, the fish market in the Altona district of Hamburg was again flooded early on Friday morning, reports the dpa. According to the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), the water level at the St. Pauli measuring point was 1.49 meters above the mean high water level – one centimeter below the limit for storm surges. For Saturday (February 19, 2022), the BSH expects water levels to be up to three meters above the mean high water level, which corresponds to a severe storm surge.

The situation at Deutsche Bahn has calmed down somewhat after storm “Ylenia”. In particular, long-distance trains are again on the move between Berlin and Hamburg and between Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia, the railway said on Friday morning. Nevertheless, there are still restrictions due to blocked sections of the route in long-distance traffic.

+

Next hurricane is coming: Storm low “Zeynep” could be “even more violent”.

Update from Friday, February 18th, 2022, 6.45 a.m .: Hurricane low “Ylenia” caused chaos in many regions of Germany. Schools were closed due to storms and bad weather, rail and air traffic were badly affected and there were many accidents. After a day of “storm break” the next hurricane is already in the starting blocks. An expert already expected that the effects of hurricane low “Zeynep” could actually be “even more severe”. But which parts of Germany are affected?

Storm danger in Germany: who is affected by storm depression “Zeynep”.

The German Weather Service (DWD) explained to the German Press Agency (dpa) that the focus of this new heavy storm or even Ork system was on the northern half of Germany from Friday afternoon to Saturday morning. Overall, parts of the following federal states are affected:

Next hurricane is coming: Effects of storm “Zeynep” could be “even more severe”.

First report from Thursday, February 17th, 2022: Kassel – Hurricane low “Ylenia” has already left a trail of devastation in Germany. In several federal states, Deutsche Bahn stopped its long-distance traffic, schools remained closed, roads were closed. Storm and thunderstorms are expected to continue in the coming days.

While “Ylenia” left for the Baltic States and Finland on Thursday afternoon (February 17, 2022), but continued to lead to stormy conditions during the course of the day, according to the forecasts, hurricane low “Zeynep” is already expected on Friday afternoon. The storm is expected to rage most violently from the East Frisian coast to the Elbe. “Extreme hurricane gusts of over 140 kilometers per hour can temporarily occur there,” said the DWD.

Storm in Germany: hurricane “Zeynep” – effects could be “even more severe”.

“Overall, the effects could be even more severe,” predicts qualified meteorologist Dominik Jung to wetter.net. He speaks of a “fire-dangerous” weather situation. He also warns of further storms. Already Sunday to Monday it should be uncomfortable again. “There seems to be a whole series of storms heading towards Germany. Good old western weather is back in full swing. The jet stream is to blame for this,” says Jung.

+

The strong wind band is once around the northern hemisphere and currently exactly over Germany. “And on this band of strong winds, one storm after the other rushes to us in Germany,” explains the meteorologist.

Two hurricane lows sweep over Germany: gusts of up to 150 km/h

Whether hurricane “Zeynep” will rage more violently than the first storm remains to be seen. Heavy gusts of wind and hurricane-like gusts * occurred on Thursday night. “The leader in measured wind peaks is once again the Brocken, where speeds of 150 kilometers per hour were registered,” said the German Weather Service on Thursday. But there were also hurricane gusts in places at lower altitudes. For example, 125 kilometers per hour were measured in Angermünde in Brandenburg and 123 kilometers per hour in Arnsberg (North Rhine-Westphalia).

In addition to fallen trees and power outages as well as numerous fire brigade operations, the first hurricane also claimed two lives. A 37-year-old man died in Lower Saxony on Thursday morning when a tree fell on his car and killed him. As a spokesman for the dpa fire brigade confirmed, the driver died immediately. A driver in the Osnabrück district also died because his trailer swerved into the oncoming lane in a storm. He collided with a truck.

In Saxony-Anhalt near the southern Harz Mountains, a 55-year-old died on a country road on Thursday. A tree fell on the man’s car due to the strong wind, police said. As a result, the moving car overturned in the morning. (svw with material from dpa) *hna.de and 24hamburg.de are offered by IPPEN.MEDIA.

Rubriklistenbild: © Michael Bahlo / dpa