Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

WEATHER

Balmy and dry weekend forecast

It might be time to test your beachwear for the summer, as dry and sunny weather heats up the weekend, the German Weather Service (DWD) said Friday.

Published: 6 May 2011 16:02 CEST
Balmy and dry weekend forecast
Photo: DPA

“The nightly plunge in temperatures is over, for now,” said DWD meteorologist Dorothea Paetzold in a statement.

“Ever warmer air is coming Germany’s direction from the south, keeping things dry,” she added. “Brief storms are possible beginning Sunday in the west, but that is all.”

Germany will remain mostly warm, sunny and dry on Friday, despite clouds that could cover western regions in the afternoon. High temperatures will reach 19 degrees Celsius in the northeast and 25 degrees along the Rhine River, while mountainous and coastal regions will be cooled by winds out of the southwest.

Skies Friday night will be clear, with temperatures sinking to 13 degrees in the west and 4 degrees in the southeast, where ground frost remains a possibility.

On Saturday, expect the dry, sunny weather to continue. The mercury will rise to summer-like levels, climbing to 22 degrees in the northeast and 28 degrees in the West. Saturday night’s clear skies will make for good stargazing, with temperatures hovering around 14 degrees in the west and 6 degrees in the southeast.

Sunday will see more of the same. Other than possible rain clouds and brief thunderstorms in the west, most of the country will be sunny and dry, with temperatures at 22 degrees in the northeast and 29 degrees in the southwest.

Coastal and highland regions, meanwhile, will see temperatures between 15 and 19 degrees, with a cool breeze blowing from the southeast.

Scattered thunderstorms are possible Sunday night, but most regions will remain clear, cooling down to 13 degrees in the west and 6 degrees in the Alpine foothills.

Click here for The Local’s weather forecast.

The Local/adn

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

BERLIN

Warning of toxic smoke after fire breaks out at Berlin factory

More than 180 firefighters wearing protective suits were on Friday tackling a major blaze at a metal technology firm in Berlin's Lichterfelde area as authorities warned of toxic smoke.

Published: 3 May 2024 16:35 CEST
Updated: 3 May 2024 18:08 CEST
Warning of toxic smoke after fire breaks out at Berlin factory

The blaze broke out in the first floor of metal technology factory ‘Diehl Metal Applications’ on the Stichkanal in Lichterfelde, south-west Berlin around 10:30 am.

On Friday afternoon, a fire brigade spokesperson said an area of over 2,000 square metres was on fire in the four-storey building.

As of 5 pm, the fire was reportedly still not under control.

According to the spokesman, the fire had spread to the roof, with parts of the building collapsing.

As the company also stores and processes chemicals in various quantities, there are concerns over harmful fumes in the smoke. 

“We can confirm that chemicals are also burning in the building,” said the fire service. “Sulphuric acid and copper cyanide were stored there. There is a risk of hydrogen cyanide forming and rising into the air with the smoke.”

Hydrogen cyanide is a highly toxic substance.

The Berlin state government said that residents “in the affected areas of the toxic fumes caused by the fire” were warned through the NINA warning app at midday.

People walk in the area near the fire in Berlin on Friday. Residents have been urged to stay inside and keep their windows closed.

People walk in the area near the fire in Berlin on Friday. Residents have been urged to stay inside and keep their windows closed. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

The Berlin fire department also said on X that people in a large area of Berlin and the outskirts, shown on the map in this tweet, should keep their windows and doors closed, turn off air conditioning and avoid smoky areas. People have also been asked to avoid the area. It includes a large part of the Grunewald forest. 

In the immediate vicinity, hazardous substances had been measured. According to a fire and rescue spokesperson, no injuries have been reported. 

A spokesman for Diehl Metall, to which the plant belongs, said on request that the chemicals mentioned were also only kept in small quantities at the plant.

According to the Diehl spokesman, the location is used for electroplating parts for the automotive industry. The Diehl Group is a large arms company; however, no armaments were produced at the Berlin plant, Nitz said.

Emergency response authorities requested the help of the in-house fire brigade from the firm Bayer, which is familiar with fighting against chemical fires, Berlin newspaper Tagesspeigel reported. 

Which areas are most affected?

Pupils and teachers from nearby schools have been sent home as a precaution, while several shops around the site have closed. 

On Friday afternoon, a warning message popped up on many mobile phones with a shrill sound, according to which there is “extreme danger”.

“After evaluating the weather conditions and the corresponding wind direction, the flue gases move from the scene of the incident in a northerly direction,” the fire department told the German Press Agency (DPA).

Flames seen at the fire in Berlin's Lichterfelde on Friday.

Flames seen at the fire in Berlin’s Lichterfelde on Friday. Shops around the area closed. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

According to the fire department spokesman, however, it was not initially clear at what distance the smoke could still be hazardous to health.

Parents of students at the Fichtenberg-Gymnasium in Steglitz received an e-mail stating that classes had been stopped and all students had been sent home. However, the local Abitur or end of school leaving exams continued with the windows closed.

Surrounding roads were closed while flames leapt into the sky, according to a DPA reporter on site.

A neighbouring supermarket was completely enveloped in white smoke. The surrounding area is a mixture of commercial area, allotments, housing estates and shopping centre. According to eyewitnesses, the smoke appeared to be heading north.

The fire department published a map on which the affected areas are marked. Parts of Spandau, Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf and Reinickendorf, among others, can be seen. People should avoid the affected area and drive around it as much as possible, the fire department suggested. Even if no smoke is visible, windows and doors should remain closed and ventilation and air conditioning systems should be switched off, it said.

In the immediate vicinity of the fire, the police made announcements with a megaphone and called on people to leave the streets, go home and keep windows closed.

The cause of the fire has not yet been established. 

With reporting by DPA, Paul Krantz and Rachel Loxton.

SHOW COMMENTS