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WEATHER

Severe storms close schools and flood roads

Severe storms ravaged parts of Germany with gale force winds, hail, lightning and heavy rains, causing flooding and school closures on Tuesday.

Published: 26 May 2009 17:59 CEST
Severe storms close schools and flood roads
Rescue workers clear downed trees in Leer. Photo: DPA

The northern states of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt were hit with the most severe weather, bringing floods and property damage.

Schools in the Leer district of Lower Saxony closed for the day out of concern that students would be hurt by falling trees. Deutsche Bahn reported massive delays due to felled trees on tracks in the area. Meanwhile two drivers lost control of their vehicles on wet roads and collided with trees.

The A31 motorway and an Ems River tunnel were closed briefly due to flooding, police said.

While rain fell at a rate of 25 to 40 litres per square metre in an hour in northern Saxony-Anhalt, the German Weather Service (DWD) cancelled severe weather warnings for western states, calling for thunder storms instead.

Monthly rainfall for this time of year in the region usually averages some 50 litres per square metre, a DWD spokesperson said.

The central state of Hesse also suffered from severe storms. A lightning strike struck a family home in Viernheim setting the roof on fire. Police said the parents were able to escape the home with their 11 and 14-year-old children unharmed.

Police also closed the Lohberg tunnel in southern Hesse after a lightning strike shut down technical operations.

In many places storms arrived after an eerily hot and still morning. The DWD reported the nasty weather was due to subtropical air clashing with a cold front moving from west to east over the country.

Click here for The Local’s weather forecast.

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WEATHER

More rain forecast as storms hit western Germany

Severe storms and heavy rain affected parts of Germany on Thursday, creating disruptions. More rain is forecast on Friday but weather warnings have been lifted.

Published: 3 May 2024 09:53 CEST
More rain forecast as storms hit western Germany

Major storms hit western Germany on Thursday, causing travel disruption and flooding. 

In parts of Baden-Württemberg, streets were flooded and rivers swelled. Bisingen, southwest of Tübingen, was particularly hard hit, with cellars and streets plunged under water.

Police said there was also traffic disruption. In Baden-Württemberg’s state capital Stuttgart, severe storms and lightning caused issues and some roads were closed.

A lightning strike in the Sigmaringen area resulted in a broken signal box on the railway line. According to Deutsche Bahn, no train journeys were possible in the region in the early evening with several delays and cancellations.

Other states were also affected.

There were around 300 relief operations in the Ahrweiler district in Rhineland-Palatinate, which was hit by the 2021 deadly flood disaster.

Police said no-on was injured, although basements and streets were flooded. The water levels of the Ahr were being closely monitored.

Emergency services in Bisingen on Thursday.

Emergency services in Bisingen on Thursday. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Silas Stein

In Trier, too, streets were flooded after heavy rain and there were hailstorms. The Koblenz police headquarters reported fallen trees. Significant property damage due to full cellars and flooded streets was also reported in some areas. 

Heavy showers also fell in Hesse, accompanied by thunder storms. In Frankfurt, according to the fire department, the heavy rain caused water to enter the Bethanien Hospital and even reach the intensive care unit of the clinic.

“We were able to contain the damage relatively quickly and prevent it from spreading,” said fire department spokesman Thorben Schemmel, adding that no patients were affected.

In Rhineland-Palatinate, the Eifel region was particularly affected, with reports of flooded streets after heavy rain and hailstorms.

North Rhine-Westphalia also saw storms late in the afternoon on Thursday. 

The German Weather Service (DWD) said it expected some heavy rain and hail in parts of the country on Friday – particularly in the west – and at the weekend but warnings of severe weather have been lifted. 

The DWD said there could still be one or two strong thunderstorms in the northeast on Friday. However, it will be a significantly quieter day compared to Thursday. Temperatures of up to 25C can be expected.

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