Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport has suspended all flights and the Dutch national rail service halted trains across the country as a powerful storm battered the Netherlands and lashed other parts of Europe.
Schiphol tweeted shortly after 11am local time that it was halting all takeoffs and landings "until further notice" because of the severe weather conditions.
The airport later said flights would likely resume around noon. Flag carrier KLM already had scrapped more than 200 flights before the storm.
Dutch broadcaster NOS reported that the main railway station in The Hague was closed because of fears that parts of its new glass roof would be blown off.
Traffic on Dutch roads was plunged into chaos, with the wind blowing over tractor trailers and toppling trees and hampering efforts to clean up the mess. In Amsterdam, authorities halted all trams.
The national weather service said it recorded wind gusts of up to 140km/h in the southern port of Hook of Holland as the storm passed over the Dutch coast.
Neighbouring Belgium also was being lashed by the storm with the port of Ghent closed because of the high winds.
Belgium set off its code orange alert - the second highest storm warning - for the north of the country early Thursday and tram traffic had to be halted in parts of the capital Brussels, where several public parks had to be closed.
Trees were uprooted in several cities but air traffic at the international airport of Zaventem was largely uninterrupted.
In many parts of Germany, schools remained closed as the country prepares for the storm that was expected to bring heavy snow, rain and gusty winds.
Authorities warned Germans, especially in western and northern Germany, to not leave their homes on Thursday if possible.
In Britain, gale-force winds gusting of up to 110km/h have been recorded, and thousands of homes in southeast England have been left without electricity.
Driving conditions in parts of Scotland are extremely hazardous, with officials advising motorists to stay off the roads because of blustery winds, heavy snow and icy conditions.
