Ylenia, the first of two storms forecast to hit Germany this week (called Storm Dudley elsewhere in Europe), arrived in force in the early hours of Thursday morning, with wind speeds of up to 152 kilometres per hour. People are being warned to stay at home as much as possible, and to keep a distance from buildings, scaffolding, power lines and wooded areas like forests and national parks. The General German Automobile Club has also advised people against driving unless strictly necessary. 

Deutsche Bahn announced that it was battling with serious problems. This affects passengers in Lower Saxony,  Bremen, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Berlin and Brandenburg. Anyone due to travel before Saturday can cancel their tickets free of charge, or use them flexibly until February 26. 

Because of the storm, Berlin-Brandenburg Airport interrupted the so-called aircraft handling on Thursday morning. Air traffic was also affected. As a precaution, Lufthansa canceled 20 flights, as the company announced. Connections to Berlin, Hamburg and Munich are affected in Frankfurt. Ylenia also leaves its mark on air traffic in Hamburg: around a dozen flights are canceled at Hamburg Airport. Connections to and from Munich, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Zurich and Istanbul are affected. 

Travelers were advised to check the airline’s website for the status of their flight.