London ( CNN ) -- Strong winds and heavy rain battered Scotland and eastern England Thursday , disrupting rail and road traffic as northwestern Europe braced for heavy storms sweeping across the North Atlantic and North Sea . A truck driver was killed in West Lothian , west of Edinburgh , when his truck overturned and struck other vehicles . Four others involved in the collision suffered minor injuries , Police Scotland said in a statement . Farther south , England was facing the most serious coastal tidal surge in more than 60 years , the Environment Agency warned . Residents in some towns and cities on the Norfolk coast were evacuating . `` In some areas , sea levels could be higher than those during the devastating floods of 1953 , '' the agency said in a statement , although it said the flood defenses are better now than they were then . The 1953 North Sea storm surge killed about 1,800 people in the Netherlands and more than 300 in the UK , according to the British Met Office . Gales of up to 90 mph spread across the region . In some mountainous areas , wind speeds of more than 140 mph were recorded overnight , the Met Office said . Operator ScotRail , suspended all service , as tracks were flooded or covered in debris , and motorists were advised to delay journeys . Some flights serving Scotland were also disrupted . In some cases , trees , factory roofs or giant hay bales had been blown onto rail lines . Glasgow Central Station was evacuated after debris damaged the building 's glass roof , said Nick King , a spokesman for Network Rail in Scotland . The worst of the storm later passed in some areas , and train service in Scotland began to run again . `` It will be many hours yet before services return to near normal levels , and so the network in Scotland and the north of England will continue to be severely impacted by today 's storm , '' British train operator Network Rail said in a statement , adding that hundreds of engineers were working to clear trees and other debris from rail lines . High winds spark power cuts . Thousands of residents were being evacuated in the Great Yarmouth area in eastern England , Norfolk police said . `` Around 9,000 properties are being visited by police officers and staff over the next few hours to advise on plans for imminent evacuation , '' police said in a statement . The strong winds also hit electricity networks . Scottish and Southern Energy said engineers had restored power to around 33,000 customers and were working to get electricity back to 48,000 more in `` extremely difficult conditions '' after the gale-force winds . `` Access is being hampered by roads blocked by fallen trees and other wind borne debris , '' it said in a statement , adding that it expected most people to have their electricity supply restored by late evening . Elsewhere , Northern Ireland Electricity said emergency crews had been working since morning to restore power to more than 25,000 homes . About 2,700 remained without electricity , it said . British Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted that he had asked his environment minister to chair a special meeting on the storm disruption , adding that he was ensuring all government departments and agencies were `` doing all they can to help with ( the ) storm . '' Germany braces for severe storm . In Germany , the DWD weather service issued high-level warnings for northern coastal regions , expecting the storm to peak Thursday evening . It said arctic polar air would stream into the country , but spokesman Andreas Friedrich said DWD did not expect as strong wind speeds as in Scotland . `` We do n't expect the storm to be as bad in Germany , however it will be a severe storm nevertheless , '' he said . He said wind speeds of up to 103 kilometers per hour ( 64 mph ) were expected inland , rising to 140 kilometers per hour ( 87 mph ) in the mountains . `` This is only the beginning , and the storm will pick up speed and strength throughout the day . We are expecting the peak to be tonight . `` It can be dangerous , and people should stay inside their houses , especially in the North and around the coast , '' Friedrich said . In the Netherlands , KLM said it had canceled a significant number of flights to European destinations . CNN 's Saskya Vandoorne and Stephanie Ott contributed to this report .
48,000 lose power at homes in Scotland , Northern Ireland ; some power restored . England expecting its most serious coastal tidal surge in today . Truck driver killed in collision as winds of 87 mph batter Netherlands . Weather warning issued for Germany 's North coast ; flights canceled in Netherlands .