Schools will be shut in Germany's most populous state Thursday following storm warnings for part of the country.
The education minister for North Rhine-Westphalia said Wednesday that students should stay home to avoid being caught “in the eye of the storm.”
Yvonne Gebauer urged parents to also keep kindergarten kids at home Thursday, if possible.
Germany's national weather service DWD has warned that a storm sweeping in from the northwest could bring gusts up to 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour) Thursday. After a brief lull, a second storm is expected to hit northern Germany on Friday, it said.
Berlin's two zoos have said they will close on Thursday as a precaution, citing the potential risk caused by falling branches.
