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STORM

Tornado rages through NRW, injuring two and ripping roofs from houses

After a tornado swept through the Lower Rhine region of North Rhine-Westphalia on Wednesday evening, at least two people have been injured and property has been badly damaged.

Tornado rages through NRW, injuring two and ripping roofs from houses
A mobile home lies in a hedge after the tornado. Photo: DPA

Shortly before 6 pm, dark clouds filled the sky in a region just west of Düsseldorf and suddenly tree branches were breaking off and homes were being unroofed.

Initial police reports state that the tornado had come and gone within ten to fifteen minutes; but in that short span of time a lot of property was damaged and two people were injured.

A 23-year-old man was seriously injured due to falling branches. Another person suffered minor injuries.

“Houses were so badly damaged that they are temporarily uninhabitable,” the NRW district of Viersen-Boisheim reported. 40 to 50 houses have been damaged in the district which is home to 2,000 inhabitants, according to the city of Viersen.

The tornado also hit the districts of Nettetal-Schaag, Schwalmtal-Dilkrath, Schwalmtal and Niederkrüchten, the local authorities reported via Facebook.

Numerous houses saw their roofs torn off, trees fell over and roads saw massive obstructions due to debris and branches which had fallen.

Damaged homes in Viersen. Photo: DPA

The motorway 61 near the Dutch border was also partially closed down. Police moreover reported that the rail route between Venlo and Mönchengladbach had to be shut down.

Meteorologist Jörg Kachelmann described Wednesday’s tornado in NRW as “very striking.” 

At least six tornadoes have been observed in Germany so far this year, Kachelmann wrote on his website kachelmannwetter.com.

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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.

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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