High winds, heavy rains head to Germany; schools to shut

BERLIN (AP) — 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.” She urged parents to also keep young children in day care at home too, 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.