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WEATHER

Summer forecast: Warm, tornadoes possible

Meteorologists are predicting a warm summer that is drier than average, although there's the possibility of storms and even tornadoes.

Published: 20 June 2011 16:32 CEST
Summer forecast: Warm, tornadoes possible
Photo: DPA

The weather services Donnerwetter.de and Wetter.net both expect a warm summer, though the official German Weather Service (DWD) says it is pointless to try to predict more than 10 days at a time.

Donnerwetter.de meteorologist Karsten Brandt said odds were “high that the weather will turn out sunny with a tendency to be dry.”

Wetter.net meteorologist Dominik Jung also predicted a warm, albeit changeable summer.

“Short heatwaves of a few days will be followed quickly by cooling in the form of fierce storms with heavy rains,” Jung said, adding that tornadoes were possible.

Click here for The Local’s weather forecast.

But the official German Weather Service’s (DWD) Helmut Malewski said in a statement that predicting more that 10 days ahead is like “reading tea leaves.”

His official forecast for this week is that the unsettled weather of recent days is set to continue even as warmer temperatures arrive in the middle of the week before things cool down again.

Sunny periods will alternate with showers and even thunderstorms, Malewski said. The middle of the week will be somewhat warmer, with temperatures creeping up to about 30 degrees Celsius in southeastern Bavaria.

Patches of rain will be the constant feature of the week. After a cool but mostly dry Monday night with overnight lows of between nine and 15 degrees Celsius, Tuesday will bring scattered cloud with some rainfall turning to heavy showers and thunderstorms in parts of the country. High temperatures will rise to between 21 and 25 degrees in the south and between 17 and 22 degrees in the north.

Showers will continue into the early evening but should clear up during the night, especially in the centre and north of the country. Overnight lows will range from 10 to 16 degrees.

Wednesday will be changeable with sunny periods interspersed with thick cloud. The south and east of the country will enjoy the more pleasant weather early on. Scattered showers will appear particularly in the west and north. But as the day progresses, the south and southeast may see thunderstorms. High temperatures will range from 20 degrees on the North Sea coast to about 30 degrees in southeast Bavaria.

Overnight lows will range from 12 to 16 degrees.

Thursday will also be changeable albeit cooler with high temperatures ranging from 17 to 21 degrees.

The Local/djw

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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.

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