Thelocal.de - 6 December 2013
Traffic struggling through the snow in North Rhine-Westphalia on Friday morning and a flooded train station in Emden. Photo: DPA
Hurricane Xaver left its mark on northern Germany on Thursday night and Friday morning with blizzards, violent winds and the highest sea levels in decades. Travel was disrupted while schools and Christmas markets were shut.
With blasts of 180 km/h along the North and Baltic coast, Xaver hit Germany with force on Thursday night and the bad weather continued into Friday.
In northern Germany, the Elbe River harbour of Hamburg was under six metres of water, the highest in about a decade, leaving only the tops of lamp posts sticking out of the freezing waters.
Also in Hamburg, a fallen tree derailed a suburban commuter train which hit a bridge. The fire brigade had to free six passengers from the train, one with minor injuries.
