A powerful storm in the North Sea triggered tidal surges and violent winds that forced Britain and the Netherlands to activate flood defenses, and hundreds of people were evacuated in low-lying areas of eastern England.
The peak of the predicted surge passed Friday without causing major damage in Britain.
In the Netherlands, Rotterdam Port was halting all ship traffic until Friday evening. The new Maeslant Barrier protecting the mouth of Europe's largest port was closed Thursday for the first time under storm conditions since its construction in 1997.
The Thames River barrier, downstream from London, was also closed as a precaution.
In France, wind gusts of up to 66 mph whipped northern towns during overnight storms, blowing off rooftops and uprooting trees, regional emergency services said. No injuries were reported.
Waves up to 20 feet high rolled up against sea defenses in Lowestoft, England, the most easterly point of Britain, about 120 miles northeast of London on the North Sea coast early Friday.
But by midmorning, concern eased and police were allowing residents to return to homes in low-lying areas.
Great Yarmouth, just north of Lowestoft in Norfolk county, was also closed to traffic as the River Yare rose nearly to the surface of bridges. Police in Norfolk said rising water had breached the flood defenses in the town center.
“It's quite spectacular. ... I've lived here all my life and never seen anything like it,” said Chris Warnes, 55.
The storm did not hit Germany as hard as expected Thursday night, but meteorologists were expecting a storm surge along the North Sea coast Friday afternoon, and the port of Hamburg was closed.
In the Netherlands, sea levels were expected to reach heights of 13 feet above normal in the far northern city of Delftzijl in the afternoon, the country's flood alarm agency said.
Wind gusts of up to 60 mph along the Dutch coast were expected to last all afternoon, and Amsterdam's Schiphol airport warned passengers of possible delays and cancellations.
Some ferries to islands located off the northwest Dutch coast were halted, and state broadcaster NOS reported minor flooding in areas outside protective dikes.
The storm also hit the Faeroe Islands, a Danish territory between Scotland and Iceland, forcing the main international airport at Vagar to close, and ferry and bus companies to suspend their services.
The peak of the predicted surge passed Friday without causing major damage in Britain.
In the Netherlands, Rotterdam Port was halting all ship traffic until Friday evening. The new Maeslant Barrier protecting the mouth of Europe's largest port was closed Thursday for the first time under storm conditions since its construction in 1997.
The Thames River barrier, downstream from London, was also closed as a precaution.
In France, wind gusts of up to 66 mph whipped northern towns during overnight storms, blowing off rooftops and uprooting trees, regional emergency services said. No injuries were reported.
Waves up to 20 feet high rolled up against sea defenses in Lowestoft, England, the most easterly point of Britain, about 120 miles northeast of London on the North Sea coast early Friday.
But by midmorning, concern eased and police were allowing residents to return to homes in low-lying areas.
Great Yarmouth, just north of Lowestoft in Norfolk county, was also closed to traffic as the River Yare rose nearly to the surface of bridges. Police in Norfolk said rising water had breached the flood defenses in the town center.
“It's quite spectacular. ... I've lived here all my life and never seen anything like it,” said Chris Warnes, 55.
The storm did not hit Germany as hard as expected Thursday night, but meteorologists were expecting a storm surge along the North Sea coast Friday afternoon, and the port of Hamburg was closed.
In the Netherlands, sea levels were expected to reach heights of 13 feet above normal in the far northern city of Delftzijl in the afternoon, the country's flood alarm agency said.
Wind gusts of up to 60 mph along the Dutch coast were expected to last all afternoon, and Amsterdam's Schiphol airport warned passengers of possible delays and cancellations.
Some ferries to islands located off the northwest Dutch coast were halted, and state broadcaster NOS reported minor flooding in areas outside protective dikes.
The storm also hit the Faeroe Islands, a Danish territory between Scotland and Iceland, forcing the main international airport at Vagar to close, and ferry and bus companies to suspend their services.