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WEATHER

Violent storms cause chaos, two deaths

Heavy thunderstorms that sometimes included hail, flooded streets, knocked out power, closed airports and lead to the deaths of two people Friday evening and Saturday morning.

Published: 4 July 2009 09:30 CEST
Violent storms cause chaos, two deaths
Photo: DPA

One woman was killed by a lightning strike near the town of Ludwigsburg in Baden-Württemberg, police reported Saturday. A fireman in a nearby town was also killed by a lightning strike while pumping out flooded water. Several others were injured by lightning across the region, including five campers in Rhineland-Palatinate.

“It was bad. We’ve never had something like this before,” a police spokeman in the town of Neuss told the DPA press agency.

The German Weather Service (DWD) said the current hot and humid weather was contributing to the violent storms.

Düsseldorf’s airport was shut down due to the storms for an hour and a half on what was one of the heaviest travel days of the year. Two aircraft were diverted to the Cologne-Bonn airport and others were forced to circle the Düsseldorf airport until it could be reopened.

Power outages and flooding shut down the Porsche factory in Stuttgart, requiring emergency repairs to the facility over the weekend before production can resume again Monday, a company spokesman said.

In Düsseldorf alone, firefighters received over 450 emergency calls. A major autobahn was shut in both directions due to flooding and train service was delayed due to flooding and debris on the tracks. Traffic was disrupted as far away as Munich, where S-Bahn and long-distance train services were delayed.

The German Weather service warned that conditions would remain muggy and could lead to more heavy storms with hail and lightning on Saturday.

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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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