"Zoltan" brings masses of water, rail chaos and suspected tornadoes

Weather - "Zoltan" brings masses of water, rail chaos and suspected tornadoes

Storm "Zoltan" has largely receded after causing a lot of disorder on the roads and railways in northern Germany on Friday morning. Rail travelers in particular had to be patient, some ferries in the north did not run and the subway trains in Hamburg were slower. There were icy roads in Lower Saxony and the German Weather Service (DWD) was investigating a suspected tornado in Cologne. There were fatalities caused by the storm in the Netherlands and Belgium. The severe storm surge in Hamburg peaked in the late morning.

Weather service investigates suspected tornado in Cologne

The DWD is investigating whether there was a tornado in the Cologne district of Poll, a spokeswoman said on Friday. The investigation is not yet complete, she emphasized. There is no confirmation for the time being.

Severe storm damage occurred in the district during the night from Thursday to Friday. Several media reported that residents had reported a tornado that had passed through the district. The weather website "Tornadoliste.de" initially classified the events as "suspected".

In Hamburg, the police gave the all-clear just a few hours after the peak was reached. The interior authorities were satisfied after the severe storm surge: "We were very well prepared and managed the situation very well," said a spokesperson.

In the morning, the Hamburg fire department reported 170 storm and water-related operations with no injuries. The police and fire department in Schleswig-Holstein also had their hands full. They were called out to more than 670 operations due to the storm.

A test of patience for rail travelers

The storm had a huge impact on train services. Many travelers were unable to get off the train and countless train cancellations were listed on the display boards in the stations. Long-distance and local services were affected throughout Germany - but the main focus was on the north.

From here, there were initially no express trains to cities such as Hanover, Kassel, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Basel and Munich in the morning. The situation eased a little in the afternoon and closures were largely lifted. "Long-distance trains are now running on the important north-south route between Hanover and Frankfurt, bringing important relief to pre-Christmas traffic," the railroad announced in the afternoon. Regional services also returned to normal.

For the weekend, Deutsche Bahn is expecting trains to be very busy - in addition to the already heavy Christmas traffic, there would now be travelers who had to postpone their journey to the weekend due to the storm: "It will certainly be full," said a Deutsche Bahn spokeswoman. To make matters worse, further restrictions are looming, according to Deutsche Bahn: "It is becoming apparent that it will take longer to repair the damage on some routes," the Deutsche Bahn statement said. There was also a serious case of non-ferrous metal theft on the Mannheim-Frankfurt line.

Fish auction hall in Hamburg completely submerged

The water of the Elbe pushed the heavy storm surge ashore, completely submerging the Hamburg fish market and the surrounding streets. The water was waist-high in places. As not all cars were driven away in time, they were also flooded. During the night, the fire department and police were out and about in the region searching for people in the vehicles still parked in the flooded area.

Due to the forecast for a severe storm surge, the Hamburg Interior Authority had set up a central disaster task force. In the morning, sirens were sounded along the Elbe as well as messages via warning apps and on social media to warn of the storm surge.

In any case, there was plenty for onlookers to watch along the banks of the Elbe in Hamburg - including some sunny moments. After all, "Zoltan" brought a wild mixture of storms, blue skies with sunshine, sleet showers and constant rain to the north.

Hundreds of Hamburg residents and tourists took advantage of the heavy storm surge on the Elbe to take a pre-Christmas trip to the fish market. Along the promenade below the St. Pauli harbor steps, they watched as the last cars were driven or towed from the already flooded parking areas on the riverbank.

The fish auction hall was completely submerged by the floodwaters. On Große Elbstraße behind it, which is located in front of the large flood gate at the fish market, only half of the bus stop signs were still sticking out of the water. The Elbe reached right up to the facades of the houses at the fish market with their numerous stores and restaurants.

Interior Minister Faeser calls for respect

Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser thanked all the emergency services in the country on Friday. "I would like to thank all the police, fire departments, rescue services and THW emergency services who are working in the current storms and floods." Right now, she would like to see more respect and recognition for police and rescue workers and volunteers. "This is especially true in these times of often harsh hostility and attacks that many of them have to experience," said the SPD politician.

Falling Christmas tree kills woman at Christmas market

Meanwhile, there was a serious storm episode in Belgium: At a Christmas market, a woman was killed by a fir tree about 20 meters high. The coniferous tree could not withstand a strong gust of wind on Thursday evening, reported the Belga news agency. The tree fell on three people, one of whom died a short time later in hospital from her serious injuries. The scene of the accident at the Christmas market in the city of Oudenaarde was cordoned off and investigated after the accident.

A woman in the Netherlands also died in the violent storm. The 37-year-old was hit by a falling tree while riding her bicycle, the woman's employer, a care facility, announced on Friday. The accident occurred on Thursday in Wilp, about 100 kilometers east of Amsterdam.

The woman worked as a caregiver in the residential home for people with disabilities. She was riding a so-called duo bike with a resident when the tree fell over. The other woman was slightly injured in the accident.

"Zoltan" continues to provide strong winds

"Zoltan" continued to cause strong winds on the coast on Friday. According to the German Weather Service, gale-force gusts of more than 100 kilometers per hour were possible in the evening. In the second half of the night, the wind was expected to decrease somewhat and then become stronger again on Saturday evening, although not as strong as on Friday.

Inform yourself before setting off

For the upcoming Christmas weekend, Deutsche Bahn recommends that passengers check the timetable information in the "DB Navigator" app or on bahn.de before starting their journey. All passengers who have to postpone their planned journey on Friday or Saturday due to the storm can use their ticket at a later date, according to Deutsche Bahn. The train connection has been canceled. The ticket is valid for the journey to the original destination, even if the route is changed. Seat reservations can be canceled free of charge.