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WEATHER

IN PICS: Central Germany begins clean-up effort after heavy flooding

The continuous rain throughout this week has at last ended, but there are still visible signs of the serious flooding that ensued, especially in central Germany.

Published: 28 July 2017 10:51 CEST
IN PICS: Central Germany begins clean-up effort after heavy flooding
Flooding in Hildesheim on Thursday. Photo: DPA.

The Harz mountain region of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt was especially hard hit by the storms that poured down across Germany this week, leading to serious flooding in places like Hildesheim, as pictured below.

Top: Flooding in Hildesheim on Thursday. Bottom: After the water was pumped out on Friday. Photo: DPA..

On Friday this region was in the middle of cleanup operations, including surveying damage from the storms and starting repairs.

But while some cities had managed to pump much of the water out of their streets by Friday, others were still dealing with the flooding late into Thursday, such as in Wolfenbüttel, Lower Saxony where officials had to trigger the disaster alert.

“At night we had many operations, with sandbags being piled up and water being pumped,” said a spokesman for the local emergency operations.

Photos posted to social media on Friday showed people boating through the flooded streets in Wolfenbüttel.

“The lower floor of a care home was evacuated and the residents were brought to safety,” added another spokeswoman.

In Braunschweig (also called Brunswick), firefighters had to fill up thousands of sandbags on Thursday, handing them out for free to protect locals from the high water levels. The water is expected to shift in the coming days to the Leine and Oker rivers. Officials in the Leine area of Hanover expect the water level to reach a peak by Friday evening.

Below, a park in Braunschweig on Wednesday, flooded from the rain:

Lower Saxony’s Minister President Stephan Weil and the state’s environment minister Stefan Wenzel said they would give further details on what measures they will take on Friday.

The flooding also is estimated to have caused millions of euros in damage to the University of Hildesheim, the consequences of which will likely still be felt when classes start again in October.

“It is severe,” said a university spokeswoman, calling the damage “massive”.

The campus as well as protected historic castle grounds have been affected, she added.

“The institute is underwater.”

In Saxony-Anhalt, the town of Harsleben saw a stream overflow onto the banks, while in Wernigerode a kindergarten temporarily closed due to the high water levels, reopening on Friday.

Harsleben on Friday. Photo: DPA.

The German Weather Service (DWD) predicts Friday to be clear of rain across the vast majority of the country, with some showers still expected around Emsland, Lower Saxony and in Western Pomerania.

By Saturday, rain is set to fall again in the north and west, while the rest of the country will experience warm weather with highs between 24C and 28C.

Sunday will bring heavier storms once again throughout the country, which are expected to continue into next week.

WEATHER

Germany hit by storms and high winds

After a night of thunderstorms and high winds that knocked down trees and delayed trains, wind warnings are still in place in much of Germany on Tuesday. The coming days are expected to bring cool temperatures and scattered showers.

Published: 16 April 2024 10:20 CEST
Germany hit by storms and high winds

The German Weather Service (DWD) is maintaining wind warnings across much of Germany on Tuesday following severe wind and rain storms that started Monday night.

Wind speeds are most intense in the south. Around Munich, the DWD predicts wind speeds around 65 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 80 kilometres per hour can be expected in exposed locations, along with showers.

In the middle of the country the weather is similar with slightly less intense winds predicted. In Düsseldorf, winds up to around 55 kilometres per hour are predicted.

In the northern regions, no serious weather warnings are in effect.

Showers are also expected across much of the southern, western and northern regions in Germany on Tuesday. In the middle and eastern regions, such as around Erfurt or Dresden, skies are partly cloudy.

In the Upper Harz region, snow fell on Monday night and Tuesday morning. Unusually cold weather is expected to continue there through the weekend.

Looking forward, scattered showers will continue on Wednesday, but the sun can be expected to peek through across much of the country. Northern and eastern cities like Berlin and Hamburg can expect a bit more sun tomorrow, whereas cities in the south can expect a bit more rain.

A mix of sun and scattered showers can be expected to extend through Friday and Saturday, with high temperatures around 12C each day and low temperatures between 2C and 5C at night.

House with wrecked roof

The flat roof of an apartment building in Hesse was damaged by severe winds on Monday night. PHOTO: picture alliance/dpa/5VISION.NEWS | 5VISION.NEWS

Severe storms left trail of destruction

Thunderstorms, strong winds and widespread storms on Monday evening left carnage across Germany. 

Some train passengers experienced delays of four hours on while a number of routes were closed.

On Tuesday morning there are only major delays between Nuremberg and Erfurt, a railway spokesman said.

Tees and branches knocked down by severe gusts of wind caused a series of injuries and traffic disruption.

In Hesse, a motorist and her passenger were injured in a collision with a tree that had fallen due to the storm.The accident occurred on Monday evening in the city of Alsfeld. Both occupants of the car were slightly injured, the 20-year-old was taken to a hospital.

In Bottrop (North Rhine-Westphalia), a 19-year-old pedestrian was injured on her way home from work after a tree suddenly fell onto the sidewalk. The young woman’s legs were trapped under the tree trunk, according to the fire department. In Hattingen in the Ruhr area, a man was injured by a tree falling into a garden.

In Cologne, a city bus was damaged by a fallen tree. The driver was slightly injured and taken to hospital, the fire department said in the evening. Several fallen trees and bent branches hindered traffic in the city.

In Bavaria, three people in a car suffered serious injuries in an accident on the A9.

In Rhineland-Palatinate, the Koblenz police headquarters reported 10 cars in its region that had been damaged by falling trees or other objects. Electricity and telephone lines were also damaged by falling trees. In Ludwigshafen in the Palatinate, trees fell on roads and power lines. Loose roof tiles and fallen construction fences also triggered fire brigade operations.

With reporting by DPA

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