A brutal wind storm swept through parts of Europe on Thursday, grounding flights, flipping trucks and halting trains.
At least six people in three countries died as a result of the storm, which brought snow and “hurricane-force” winds blowing 90 mph.
All flights to and from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport were suspended. Trains in some countries were delayed and halted. Police even “closed” the city center of Almere, an urban area with a population of 200,000 east of Amsterdam. In a tweet, officials warned people to “stay home.”
In other places, the strong winds blew cyclists off their bikes and knocked trucks onto their sides. Several buildings were significantly damaged, with some losing their roofs. The square in front of a famous cathedral in Cologne was shut down, the Associated Press reported, because of fears that the masonry could blow loose.
Hundreds of thousands of people are without power, and schools across Europe are closed.
Falling trees were responsible for the deaths of two 62-year-old men in the Netherlands, a woman outside Brussels, a German firefighter and a man camping near the German town of Emmerich, according to the Associated Press. A German driver in Lippstadt was killed when he lost control of his van in the strong winds. And police are investigating whether the storm is responsible for the death of a 66-year-old man who crashed through a plexiglass roof in the Netherlands.
The roof just blew of @UvA_Amsterdam Science Park!!!! #coderood pic.twitter.com/l5Sfgwv1wq
— Samayra Straal (@SStraal) January 18, 2018
On social media, people posted videos that capture the drama of the storm:
There she goes! #storm #codeRED #Netherlands pic.twitter.com/RAEHwTHWv7
— RichardHoogeveen.nl (@RichardMaasdijk) January 18, 2018
You know when shit is going down...#CodeRed #coderood #storm #storm_in_the_Netherlands pic.twitter.com/OoXxUgAfz4
— CoasterRex (@CoasterRex) January 18, 2018
Take my home, take my belongings, but DON‘T TOUCH MY FIETSEN #Friederike !!#Netherlands #Gottalovethem pic.twitter.com/yUHFdlclMN
— Marc (@History1History) January 18, 2018
Today is an interesting day in our little country... #storm #codeRed pic.twitter.com/qQADBDVECL
— Cas and Chary VR (@CasandChary) January 18, 2018