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WEATHER

One dead after tornado hits eastern states

Saxony and Brandenburg began cleaning up on Tuesday morning after severe weather and a tornado tore through the two eastern German states on Monday evening, killing a young girl, injuring 38 and causing major property damage.

Published: 25 May 2010 08:34 CEST
One dead after tornado hits eastern states
A damaged roof in Mühlberg. Photo: DPA

The Pentecost holiday weekend came to a violent end as a tornado ripped a path of destruction between the southern Brandenburg town of Mühlberg and the Saxon district of Großenhain. A police spokesperson said two storm fronts caused hurricane-strength winds in the region.

Click here for a gallery of the storm damage.

In Großenhain a six-year-old girl was killed when an uprooted tree fell on a car in which she was sitting. Meanwhile local homes in the town of 20,000 sustained heavy roof damage and national rail carrier Deutsche Bahn reported substantial delays caused by damage along train tracks.

The town of Mühlberg was hit particularly hard by the tornado, with tiled roofs on at least 20 homes reportedly destroyed. The steeple of the town’s church was also heavily damaged. Countless trees were also uprooted, making many streets impassable. A nearby bridge over the Elbe River had to be closed due to damage.

Power and telephone service was also reportedly out in the region following the storm.

Commuters on Tuesday morning should expect delays due to road damage and clean-up efforts in Großenhain, Radeberg and Leppersdorf, a traffic warning service spokesperson said. Continued train delays were also expected.

Click here for The Local’s weather forecast.

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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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