Less than three weeks after storm "Nadia", two hurricane lows set course for Germany.

The German Weather Service (DWD) in Offenbach issued severe weather warnings for Wednesday evening to Thursday evening, mainly for the northern half of the country.

There was a risk of a storm surge on the North Sea overnight.

Deutsche Bahn advised to find out about delays or train cancellations.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, state school minister Yvonne Gebauer (FDP) canceled classes for Thursday.

The first foothills of the storm coming from the west caused heavy wind and rain in some places on Wednesday.

In the evening, the wind from low "Ylenia" should pick up powerfully, sometimes it could reach hurricane strength.

Authorities warned of caution because of falling trees, fire brigades and other helpers checked their equipment.

As in North Rhine-Westphalia, schoolchildren in several regions of Lower Saxony are allowed to stay at home on Thursday because of the weather hazards, and other federal states also reacted with appropriate caution on Wednesday.

Just a short breather

"It starts in the northwest and then moves southeast to about the middle of Germany," explained DWD meteorologist Adrian Lyser.

Gusts with a speed of up to 120 kilometers per hour are possible.

In some regions - for example in the Harz Mountains - the forecasts went even further.

There, the gusts caused problems for pedestrians on Wednesday.

The authorities also took protective measures in southern Germany.

According to the DWD, the wind from low "Ylenia" will slowly decrease from Thursday afternoon.

However, the breather should only be brief.

The next hurricane - called "Zeynep" - is expected to come from the British Isles as early as Friday afternoon.

According to the DWD, the northern half in particular will probably be affected again.

But the forecasts are not entirely certain: "The models still have very different simulations," said press spokesman and meteorologist Andreas Friedrich on Wednesday.

The weather situation is very dynamic.

The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) warned of the danger of a storm surge on the North Sea coast in the night from Wednesday to Thursday.

On the North Frisian coast and in the Weser and Elbe area, the flood will be one to 1.5 meters higher than normal, as the BSH announced on Wednesday morning.

Danger of storm surges in Hamburg

In the Hamburg Elbe area, it reaches values ​​that are 1.5 to two meters higher than the average high water.

The storm surge danger exists until around 5 a.m. on Thursday morning.

The Wyker Dampfschiffs-Reederei announced that the trips between Schlüttsiel in North Friesland and the Halligen will not take place on Thursday.

On the North Sea coast, one speaks of a storm surge when the flood water is at least 1.5 meters higher than normal.

Deutsche Bahn announced that goodwill regulations for the validity of long-distance tickets already purchased would apply for the Thursday/Friday period.

More flexible use over several days or free cancellations are possible.

In some regions in the north, the first train connections have been cancelled.

In addition, it was said from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania that trains would sometimes run at reduced speeds, so that delays could occur.

The Mitte district of Berlin warned “expressly and urgently” against entering parks because of rotten trees.

Numerous zoos, for example in Berlin, Wuppertal in North Rhine-Westphalia and in Magdeburg, should remain closed on Thursday as a precaution.

Train and ferry services were also shut down in Scotland, where experts also expected the storms to have severe effects.

Tourist attractions such as Edinburgh Castle have been closed.

At the end of January, the storm "Nadia" swept through northern and eastern Germany with dangerous gusts, causing millions in damage.

In Beelitz, Brandenburg, a pedestrian died because a large election poster was blown over and fell on him.

About a week later, the foothills of storm "Roxana" swept over parts of Germany.

According to the DWD meteorologist Friedrich, the expected storms are comparable to low "Nadia" in terms of wind peaks.

From his point of view, however, the current situation is more explosive, “because we have a chain of storm lows”.