Storms already hit some parts of western Germany on Thursday after temperatures had spiked in the mid-30s on Wednesday. 

At around 4pm, gusts of 105 km/hour were recorded at the Münster-Osnabrück weather station, the German Weather Service (DWD) said.

Anbei sind die aktuell gemessenen Böen an den Gewittern zu sehen, die Station Münster/Osnabrück hatte in der letzten Stunde (16 Uhr MESZ) 105 km/h gemeldet. das entspricht der Windstärke Bft 11. /V pic.twitter.com/RuUfg0n4yC

— DWD (@DWD_presse) May 19, 2022

The DWD issued a warning of severe thunderstorms for western parts of the country, particularly North Rhine-Westphalia.

They said people should expect severe conditions as well as hailstones throughout the day on Thursday. 

Stormy weather on Friday too

Weather experts said more of the country is likely to experience “extreme storms” with thunder and hailstones on Friday.

Central Germany is likely to be affected most, but forecasters said it’s hard to predict exactly where the storms will hit until nearer the time. 

According to a DWD meteorologist, the highest warning level (level 4) is likely to be declared in many places. “This means that there is a threat of massive damage where the thunderstorm moves,” said the Offenbach-based forecaster.

So-called supercells, which are also referred to as ‘rotating thunderstorms’, may also form. 

Forecasters say the stormy weather is due to the warm and increasingly very humid air mass coming from the west.