At least four people have died in devastating storms that hit central Europe today.
Winds in places reach 181 kilometers, which is equivalent to a hurricane of the third degree on the Sapphire-Simpson scale.
In Poland, wind 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 without electricity.
Police say two people were killed and two injured after a hurricane overturned a large crane at a construction site in Krakow. Another man died after a tree 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 disrupting traffic as fallen trees blocked roads and railways.
The strongest wind with gusts of 181 km/h was recorded on Sněžka, 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 rolled over and collided head-on with another car. The winds also damaged or destroyed roofs throughout the country.
In the Netherlands, three people, including a policeman, were injured due to strong winds. He was hit by a roof coming off a commercial building in Duven, near Arnhem.
Firefighters had to pull two people out of a car after a tree fell on it in the southern city of Maasluis. They were later taken to the hospital. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has reported flight delays of up to 45 minutes and some rail services have been cancelled.
The British Meteorological Service issued a rare ‘code red’ warning for Thursday and Friday, warning of ‘life-threatening’ from high winds in southwest England and south Wales.
Ireland also warned of “strong and destructive winds” and the possibility of coastal flooding.
In northern Germany, a 37-year-old driver died under a fallen tree near the town of Bad Bevensen.
Dramatic footage of a wave breaking the windows of a ferry on the Elbe River has been circulating on social media.
Schools have been closed in several provinces and police have warned residents to stay at home and avoid parks and forests. The strongest winds, up to 152 km/h, were recorded on the Brocken, the highest point of the Harz mountains in Central Germany.
Long-distance rail service was suspended throughout northern Germany, including Hamburg, Berlin and Bremen.
Lufthansa has canceled 20 flights to Hamburg, Berlin and Munich from Frankfurt. Storms are expected to continue into Friday and Saturday, with gale-force winds forecast in many areas.
Belgium says it puts its coastal areas on alert level orange, the second highest alert.