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WEATHER

German city deploys snowploughs after summer storm

The city of Reutlingen, in southwest Germany, had to deploy snowploughs at the height of the summer season after a violent storm dumped huge quantities of hail in the streets on Friday.

Published: 5 August 2023 13:17 CEST
Hail in Reutlingen
Firefighters engage in clean-up operations after a localised storm covered Reutlingen, southwest Germany, in a thick layer of hail. Photo: picture alliance / dpa

Local authorities said a “localised storm with hail and heavy rain” swept over the city centre on Friday afternoon.

Images showed the streets blanketed in white and snowploughs clearing them.

Hail was 30 centimetres thick in some places according to city officials.

Drainage systems were also blocked by the storm, causing water to pour into underground garages and basements, officials said in a statement.

Hail in Reutlingen and snowplough

A snowplough clears a road in downtown Reutlingen following Friday’s summer storm. Photo: picture alliance / dpa

The Echaz river, which runs through Reutlingen, rose by 1.5 metres in the space of five minutes and briefly burst its banks. No major damage was reported though.

Some 250 firefighters took part in clean-up operations across the city, in the state of Baden-Württemberg.

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WEATHER

Severe weather warnings issued as Germany braces for more storms

Extreme weather warnings for heavy rainfall remain in place in parts of Germany on Friday following flooding in the south. There is also a chance of thunderstorms at the weekend.

Published: 17 May 2024 10:37 CEST
Severe weather warnings issued as Germany braces for more storms

Severe weather is expected in the southwest of the country on Friday, with the heaviest rain expected in Saarbrücken, as well as the surrounding areas of Saarland and southern Rhineland-Palatinate.

In these areas Germany’s weather service (DWD) has level 4 warnings in place – meaning that the rain is expected to be extremely heavy (more than 40 litres per square metre in an hour, or 60 litres per square metre in 6 hours).

Slightly less severe, but still heavy continuous rain can also be expected in the surrounding regions, extending as far as Stuttgart and Mainz.

Speaking to Bild newspaper, Climatologist Dr. Karsten Brandt suggested that the heavy precipitation and thunderstorms will continue to move northwest, even into southern North-Rhine Westphalia (Aachen).

There are also wind warnings in parts of the country, with squalls expected on the Brocken and the Fichtelberg mountains, as well as in the Black Forest and in the Alps.

Currently, the highest wind warnings are in Dresden and southern Bavaria near the Alps.

Friday’s weather warnings come in the wake of chaotic weather that flooded Nuremberg and parts of Bavaria Thursday night, where many roads flooded. Cars were submerged in water and bus routes were cancelled.

A number of household cellars also flooded as well as a large underground car park at the Technical University.

READ ALSO: Record heat deaths and floods – How Germany is being hit by climate change

What will the weekend bring?

Beyond the area of severe weather warnings but not beyond the reach of the storm, Cologne will have some rain on Friday which may continue on through the weekend.

Germany’s northern and eastern regions have dodged the recent bout of storms so far, but in Berlin scattered thunderstorms can be expected to move in by Sunday afternoon. This may put a dampener on the Karneval der Kulturen parade. 

In Bremen and Hamburg, residents can expect some rain showers on Sunday and Monday, with a chance of thunderstorms as well.

In Munich and Nuremberg, it looks as if the worst is over. Some small showers may continue into Saturday, but Bavarian residents can look forward to a sunny Sunday ahead of the public holiday on Monday for Pentecost. 

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