Hurricane Xavier batters Scotland, turns to Germany and Belgium
06 Dec 2013
Hurricane Xavier that battered Scotland with winds of up to 228km per hour (142mph) is expected to hit northern Germany and Belgium by evening today.
Flood warnings have been lifted across Scotland after the storm left at least one person dead and left more than 80,000 homes without power.
In Hamburg, the authorities ordered cancellation of all flights from early afternoon and restriction of train services.
Schools and markets were also closed after the German weather service issued an extreme weather warning and advised people to stay indoors.
Meteorologists said it could be one of the most powerful storms to hit the continent in years.
''That is very dangerous, because trees can fall over at these speeds. Parts of roofs could fall off, bricks could fall down, so that it is life endangering if you are in a forest or you park under buildings or walk next to them. People should avoid that if possible,'' Meteorologist Andreas Friedrich said.
In Belgium, Met officials have warned off strong winds with chances of coastal flooding and high sea levels.
Meanwhile, authorities lifted flood warnings after severe winds battered the country and left over 80,000 people without power.
In Scotland, transport links were returning to normal on Friday after the rail network was suspended ahead of the storm.
ScotRail said it expected train service to operate soon but travellers might still face some disruption.
However, a number of flood alerts, which indicate that flooding is possible, are also still in force in Scotland as well.
