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WEATHER

VIDEO: Tornado rips through western German city

A tornado damaged nine houses, uprooted trees and overturned cars in North Rhine-Westphalia on Tuesday night.

Published: 5 June 2019 17:43 CEST
VIDEO: Tornado rips through western German city
Rescue teams on duty in Bochult. Photo: Feuerwehr Bocholt/DPA

Wind speeds between 181 and 253 km/h were recorded in Bocholt, in the Münsterland region, reported German daily Bild on Wednesday.

DWD meteorologist Andreas Friedrich confirmed to the newspaper that a tornado had swept through the town. And it's not the first. He said there had been five tornados in Germany this year.

“This was the strongest tornado in Germany this year so far,” he told RP Online.

A series of storms have hit the country in the last few days, following a heat wave with sweltering temperatures up to 35C.

READ ALSO: 'Short and violent' tornado strikes near Aachen

This video by German newspaper Rheinishe Post shows the damage. 

The tornado damaged properties and overturned cars in Bocholt. A total of nine houses are said to have been damaged and about 100 trees uprooted.

One person was injured in the weather phenomenon although not seriously.

Around 90 fire fighters were on duty for hours during the night. 

The chaos after the tornado. Photo: DPA

The clean-up was underway on Wednesday. But forecasters have warned that more extreme and stormy weather could hit the west of Germany, although the weather is expected to ease off at the end of the week. 

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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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