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WEATHER

Severe storms to subside for pleasant weekend

After two nights of severe thunder storms and flooding across parts of the country, the German Weather Service (DWD) on Friday forecast calmer, milder conditions for the weekend.

Published: 11 June 2010 16:19 CEST
Severe storms to subside for pleasant weekend
Photo: DPA

For the second night in a row, heavy rain and forceful winds uprooted trees and flooded streets in the states of Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

In Hesse alone the DWD measure some 15,000 lightning strikes between 11 pm and 2 am.

Frankfurt fire fighters were called to emergencies more than 150 times throughout the night – significantly more than the night before.

A tree fell on a petrol tanker truck injuring the driver in Walsberg, near Marburg.

Deutsche Bahn was forced to interrupt train service between Marburg and Kassel and elsewhere in the state due to storm damage to contact wires.

“Countless trees and branches fell on streets overnight and needed to be removed by daylight,” fire department spokesperson Hans-Jürgen Kohnert.

In Rhineland-Palatinate rain water stood some 60 centimetres high on the A6 motorway, sinking cars past their fenders, police reported.

The situation was similar near the Müritz lake in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, with the addition of large hailstones and tornado-force winds, police there reported.

But the DWD said the weather should begin calming down after Friday.

“The ingredients for heavy storms have been around for the last few days and will remain on Friday,” said DWD meteorologist Bernd Zeuschner, adding that some 50 litres of rain per square metre and winds up to 130 kilometres per hour had been registered in parts of southwestern Germany on Thursday night.

The northeast and areas near the Alps in the south can still expect thunderstorms on Friday, he said, but the dark clouds will be mostly gone by Saturday save for localised storms south of the Danube River.

“The rest will enjoy much more comfortable air temperatures,” Zeuschner said in the DWD report. “Not only will the air be cooler, it will also be dryer and less humid.”

On Sunday the cooler temperatures – which will still average a pleasant 20 degrees Celsius – will also reach southern Germany, forcing the remaining stormy weather out.

“It’s shaping up to be a mostly very friendly mix of sun and clouds,” Zeuschner said, adding that there may be a few exceptions with showers in the north and southeast.

Click here for The Local’s weather forecast.

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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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