Storms hit Germany, downing trees, halting rail services

High winds and driving rain swept across much of Germany on Thursday, downing trees, disrupting rail services and damaging buildings, reported dpa.

The shipping authorities issued a warning of a surge expected on the North Sea and the mouths of the Weser and Elbe rivers in the afternoon and evening.

Rail traffic came to a complete halt in the states of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt in a broad band across central and eastern Germany. The German Weather Service (DWD) predicted the dangerous conditions would spread north and east through the day.

"Hundreds of our staff are at work removing trees and other obstacles from the tracks, repairing overhead lines and recording the damage," a spokeswoman for the national rail company Deutsche Bahn said.

A whirlwind struck near the north-western port city of Kiel, leaving a swath 100 metres wide through Schwentinental to the east of the city on the Baltic Sea.

Damage was also reported in the southern state of Bavaria, where power lines went down in some places.

Forestry officials in the scenic Harz region in the centre of the country cautioned against going out. "Going into the forest at the moment is utterly irresponsible. Even once the storm has passed, trees could still fall," Harz National Park spokesman Friedhart Knolle said.