Winds of more than 200 km/h tore through eastern Europe today, uprooting trees, knocking down power lines and cutting a trail of destruction that left at least 39 people dead across the continent.
Rail and air travel were disrupted and millions of people were without electricity. Cars and buildings were battered by the worst storm in years that also caused widespread floods.
German airline Deutsche Lufthansa said many flights would be cancelled or delayed, especially in Frankfurt, as winds remained strong.
National rail operator Deutsche Bahn also expected major disruptions.
London's Heathrow Airport said short-haul and domestic flights were affected. Flights were also delayed in Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
In Britain, where winds gusted up to 160 km/h in the worst storms in 17 years, 12 people died.
Eleven people died and 200 were hurt in Germany as the country was battered by a storm of the sort only seen every 10 or 20 years. Six deaths were reported in Poland, another six died in the Netherlands and four died in the Czech Republic.
Ukraine suspended deliveries of Russian crude oil through its pipeline to central Europe after storms brought down a power line.
More than one million Czech customers faced power cuts and fallen trees disrupted travel on the nation's railways. Power outages were also reported in Slovakia and Romania.
Meteorologists reported gusts of up to 216 km/h at the top of the Czech Republic's highest mountain, Snezka.
In Poland, a lorry driver was killed by a falling tree and one man died when a crane he was operating collapsed. Another person died when the roof of his house was torn off.
In Hungary, where the strongest winds reached 108km/h, the fire brigade was called out more than 400 times, mostly due to fallen trees.
In Switzerland, winds gusted to 130km/h overnight, knocking down trees and delaying flights.
Italy, meanwhile, was basking in record high winter temperatures on Friday as the country's warmest winter for years showed no sign of abating, with temperatures up and down the country similar to what would be expected in late May.
