Photo Gallery 'Xaver' Brings Flooding, Snow, Winds
Parts of northern Europe were hit on Thursday and Friday with a tidal surge as low-pressure system "Xaver" blows through the region, bringing icy, hurricane-force winds. Here, the North Sea rages near the German town of Emden on Friday morning.
The storm brought rain, hail and snow with the tidal surge, and the German port city of Hamburg has seen its worst flooding in decades, forcing authorities to close off parts of the city center on Thursday night. Here, a woman passes by the storm surge in central Hamburg.
People stand on benches in Hamburg's historic fish market, which has been flooded by the Elbe River due to the storm.
Floodwaters in Hamburg early on Friday morning. City officials closed off flooded areas and some people reportedly had trouble reaching work in the morning.
In Rostock, fire fighters secure parts of a roof blown off by hurricane-force winds.
Streets also flooded in the northwestern German town of Norddeich on Friday morning.
Water levels reached what was expected to be their high point in Hamburg on Friday morning. They were reportedly some 6 meters (20 feet) above sea level.
Waves overtake a ferry station in the northern German city of Dagebüll on Thursday night.
The pier at the Bensersiel port in Lower Saxony was also flooded by the storm surge.
Strong gusts of wind of up to 155 kilometers per hour (96 miles per hour) were reported across Germany, damaging roofs, uprooting trees and causing traffic problems. That did not stop this man from getting right in the thick of it on Thursday.
The United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia were most heavily affected by the severe storm, but cancelled flights and trains caused problems across Europe. By Thursday night, officials had reported at least three storm-related deaths in the UK and Denmark. Here, planes await takeoff at the Hamburg airport on Thursday.
An uprooted tree in the village of Sankt Peter Ording on the North Sea coast on Thursday.
A rescue vessel patrols the North Sea island of Norderney on Thursday.
Scotland also saw high winds on Thursday. Here, a rescue workers at the scene of a fatal truck accident near Bathgate.
Snow from Xaver gnarled traffic near Olpe in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia on Friday morning.
Here, waves batter the promenade in Blackpool, England on Thursday as the storm hit the UK.
Homes on the tiny northern German island of Langeness as the North Sea levels rose on Thursday.
Traffic signs on the beach in the German village of Norddeich on Thursday were nearly submerged by the storm surge.
