Cyclone Xavier (2017)

In a preliminary notice on 4 October, the German Weather Service had announced a potential for storms with hurricane-like gusts and hurricane gusts on the next day from 10 a.m. through 6 p.m. in the North and from 2 through 10 p.m. in the East of Germany. This announcement was turned into a storm warning in the evening of 4 October.[4]

The population in Germany was warned through the 'NINA' smartphone app published by the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance. The Berlin fire brigade declared a state of emergency on 5 October while on the same day, the Hamburg fire brigade urged people not to stay outside during the storm.[6][7]

Fallen trees in Berlin

In Berlin, Hamburg, Brandenburg und Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, seven people died due to the storm. In Berlin, journalist and author Sylke Tempel was killed by a falling tree, four persons died under similar circumstances in Brandenburg and one fatality occurred in Hamburg.[8][6][9] In the harbour town of Wilhelmshaven, the storm toppled a gantry crane that weighed c. 1,000 tonnes (2,200,000 lb).[10]

Numerous railway lines in Germany became impassable forcing rail traffic to be shut down.[11]

At least two people were killed and 39 sustained injuries. A man died in Lubusz Voivodeship by falling from a roof and in Greater Poland Voivodeship, a woman was killed by a falling branch. The storm primarily struck the South and West of the country. According to the Polish government's security centre, some 800,000 people were temporarily without electric power. 40,000 relief personnel were called to 10,000 situations across Poland.[12]

In the Czech Republic, the fire services had to tend to several hundred calls. A regional train hit a tree on the tracks near Bělá (Semily District) and some railway lines had to be closed completely.[12]