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WORLD CUP 2014

WEATHER

Outdoor screenings dampened by storms

UPDATE: German football fans watching their side play Brazil on Tuesday night in the World Cup semi-finals are set to get very wet with storms hitting parts of the country.

Published: 8 July 2014 14:55 CEST
Updated: 8 July 2014 18:38 CEST
Outdoor screenings dampened by storms
Bring an umbrella tonight. Photo: DPA

Hundreds of thousands of fans are set to watch the game on huge outdoor screens, known as “public viewings”.

But a weather front called Michaela, which was above Bavaria on Tuesday morning, has moved north bringing lots of rain, as well as thunder and lightning. 

A storm hit Berlin at around 4pm, felling trees. 

A spokesman for Berlin’s Fanmeile, which holds 100,000 football supporters along the Straße des 17. Juni by the Brandenburg Gate, earlier said they had no plans to cancel the event. But hours later the Fanmeile was closed. It reopened again shortly before 6pm. 

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The state weather service, the DWD, warned of “repeated thunderstorms”, heavy rain and hail in the north.

“Conditions for outdoor screenings tonight are not good, particularly east of the Elbe,” forecasters said. “Screenings in the south-west could also get wet, as showers are expected everywhere.”

But organizers of Germany’s biggest public viewings earlier said they were undaunted.

“At the moment everything is going ahead as planned,” a spokesman for the Fan-Arena in Hamburg, which holds 50,000 people, told The Local on Tuesday afternoon. “But we can make a decision later [if the weather worsens].”

The wettest weather is expected in central and eastern Germany, where 20 to 25 litres of rain could fall per square metre in six hours.

More thunderstorms are expected on Wednesday in Berlin and the east, before summer returns for the weekend. 

SEE ALSO: Nine things to know about Germany and Brazil

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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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