LONDON, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- A powerful storm that moved across northern Europe hit Poland and Sweden Friday, killing at least four people in the two countries, authorities said.
A man found dead on a road near the town of Almhult, Sweden, was killed by a falling tree, TheLocal.se reported. In northern Poland, three men died when a tree came down on their car in Lebrok, Polskie Radio said.
Thousands of people were reported without power in Sweden, TheLocal.se reported. Rail service was disrupted, and traffic crashes were common.
The storm brought hurricane-force winds and strong coastal surges to Scotland and England Thursday, and had been blamed for at least nine deaths by Friday.
Thousands of people were advised to evacuate on the coast of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex in eastern England, while the transportation system in Scotland came to an almost total halt.
Life was starting to return to normal in Scotland Friday, The Scotsman reported. Anyone planning to use public transportation was advised to call before heading to the airport, train station or ferry terminal.
Schools remained closed in the Shetlands, which are closer to Scandinavia than to the Scottish mainland. About 8,000 homes and businesses remained without power in the country, down from 130,000 at the height of the storm Thursday.
The storm also hit the Netherlands, Denmark and northern Germany late Thursday.
Two of the deaths involved large trucks blown over by the wind Thursday, killing a truck driver in Scotland and a female passenger in Denmark, the BBC reported. In England, a man on a mobility scooter was killed by a falling branch in a park in Retford, Nottinghamshire, and two sailors were swept overboard near Sweden's east coast.
Winds as high as 140 mph were reported in Scotland, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Newcastle in northeast England was one of the first places in the country to experience flooding, as the River Tyne rose over its banks in an early afternoon tidal surge. In Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, police went door to door, advising 9,000 people to leave their homes.
The Thames Barrier, downriver from London, was closed to protect the capital from flooding.
In Denmark, Copenhagen's Kastrup Airport was shut down, the Copenhagen Post reported. Train service was suspended throughout the country, and authorities advised everyone to stay off the roads.
In the Netherlands, trains in the northern part of the country stopped running Thursday afternoon, NL Times reported. The entire country was under a red warning and residents were advised to be cautious about using cars or bicycles.
The airport in Hamburg, Germany, was almost completely shut down, TheLocal.de reported, and ships remained in port.
Many schools sent children home early, including those in Berlin, hundreds of miles from the coast.
