Germany's northern port of Hamburg was preparing for a direct hit, which some forecasters said could be as powerful as a storm and flood in the city in that killed Of the planes that had been due to land at or take off from Hamburg airport on Thursday, were cancelled or diverted due to high winds. The airport said it expected further cancellations and delays on Friday.
In Hamburg a fish market was flooded. Many schools and Christmas markets were closed. Ferries to Germany's North Sea islands were kept in port and some industrial plants closed.
Friedrich said people were being advised to stay indoors because of the risk of trees being toppled or roofs blown off. An extreme weather warning was issued for the northern states of Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony and Bremen.
The German transport ministry said until Sunday people should limit travel by road and rail to journeys which are "absolutely necessary". Train services were restricted. Some railway lines in southern Sweden were closed, with high winds expected in the south and heavy snow further north.
In Denmark, railroad company DSB said it would stop operating most trains. Airline Alsie Express cancelled all domestic flights and the 6. Copenhagen Airport, the Nordic region's busiest airport, closed to all traffic on Thursday evening until Friday at GMT due to the storm.
