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WEATHER

Heavy storms flood North Rhine-Westphalia

Heavy rains caused flooding in parts of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia in the early hours of Monday morning, Düsseldorf police said on Monday.

Published: 4 August 2008 11:06 CEST
Heavy storms flood North Rhine-Westphalia
The aftermath of flooding in Ratingen on Monday morning. Photo: DPA

Cellars were under water and police were forced to close many underpasses after water collected on the streets. Weather service Meteomedia had issued their highest storm warning for the entire state prior to the flooding.

“We estimate that some 1,000 cellars in the city could be flooded,” a police spokesperson said on Monday, adding that emergency services were “in control” of the situation.

The fire department in Mönchengladbach was called out repeatedly. “A lot of water came down,” a spokesperson said.

While Cologne, Wuppertal, western Lower Saxony, and the Münster region got off lightly, gutters in the the Ruhr Valley filled up quickly, with water levels reaching kerb-level, authorities reported.

Click here for The Local’s weather forecast.

WEATHER

‘Turbo spring’: Germany to see temperatures above 25C

Germany is set for a blast of warm weather in the coming week as the colder spell eases off.

Published: 26 April 2024 16:56 CEST
'Turbo spring': Germany to see temperatures above 25C

“The late winter weather of the past few days with frost and snow is a thing of the past for the time being, and spring will kick into turbo gear over the next few days,” said meteorologist Adrian Leyser from the German Weather Service (DWD) on Friday.

Temperatures are expected to rise sharply over the weekend with plenty of sunshine, forecasters said. In Germany anything above 25C is classed as a summer day. “The summer mark of 25C will be cracked regionally as early as Sunday,” said Leyser.

It comes as snow and hail hit Germany last week, and temperatures fell below freezing in some places.

But showers and thunderstorms are still possible in the west and north of Germany. Maximum temperatures there are expected to reach around 20C. 

According to the DWD, spring will get a little damper on Monday, with a few rain spells.  “However, the next low pressure system over Western Europe is preparing to turn on the warm air jet again from Tuesday,” said the meteorologist.

On Wednesday – which is a public holiday across Germany for International Workers’ Day – temperatures could soar nearer 30C. 

“In the south and east, we are even approaching the 30C mark,” said Leyser. However, the weather will remain “susceptible to disruption”, said Leyser, especially in the west where there is a risk of isolated and sometimes severe thunderstorms.

READ ALSO: What to do on May 1st in Germany

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