Lucie Rychla
December 26th, 2016

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Storm Urd that will batter Denmark with gale-force winds and rain this evening and night has already affected ferry traffic in the country.

Scandlines have decided to cancel all departures from Gedser on the island of Falster and Rostock in Germany for preventive measures until 11 am on Tuesday.

The ferry operator advises both freight and passenger customers to use the alternative crossing from Rødby to Puttgarden, which will sail according to schedule.

BornholmerFærgen has also changed the schedule and today’s last ferries will sail two hours earlier than usual. The last ferry from Rønne will depart at 16:30 and the last ferry from Ystad at 18:30. Customers will have their tickets automatically changed to the earlier departures.

READ MORE: Boxing Day storm could bring hurricane-strength winds to Denmark

Airports not affected
Stena Line expects the evening departure from Frederikshavn to Oslo will be delayed but travellers are still expected to come to the ferry terminal at 18:00 as scheduled.

Color Line has cancelled all departures with fast ferries on routes Hirtshals-Kristiansand and Hirtshals-Larvik in both directions.

Mols-Linien has cancelled the last three departures between Sjællands Odde-Aarhus, with the last ferry from Sjællands Odde departing today at 19:00 and from Aarhus at 17:15.

Traffic authorities for the Vejle Fjord Bridge (Vejlefjordbroen) and the Great Belt Bridge (Storebæltsbroen) advise drivers with light-weight vehicles to drive carefully and cross the sea before midnight.

Traffic on Storebæltsbroen may be closed off completely after midnight if wind speed exceeds 25 m/s.

None of the major Danish airports has yet been affected by the storm.

READ MORE: Trains and ferries cancelled due to Storm Helga

Hurricane-force winds
Long lines formed Monday afternoon on parts of Storebæltsbroen,
particularly on the stretch from Funen to Sprogø, where cars moved at snail’s pace due to heavy holiday traffic and the storm. The situation got better after 2 pm.

Hurricane-force winds of at least 33 m/s will slam the north and west coast of Jutland at 18:00. Gale-force winds (17-25 m/s) will then move eastwards and batter the country until about 6:00.

Particularly the coastal area between Esbjerg and Jammerbugten in north Jutland will be affected, but other areas in the country are also at risk of flooding.

Provisional dams have been built to prevent high tides from sweeping across residential areas.

Storm Urd, which means ‘fate’ in Norse mythology, is the first storm to hit Denmark since December 2015, when the country was battered by storm Helga.

DMI predicts the rest of the year of 2016 will be peaceful, with some sun, mild winds and day temperatures between 3-7 degrees Celsius.