Wind speeds between 181 and 253 km/h were recorded in Bocholt, in the Münsterland region, reported German daily Bild on Wednesday.
DWD meteorologist Andreas Friedrich confirmed to the newspaper that a tornado had swept through the town. And it's not the first. He said there had been five tornados in Germany this year.
“This was the strongest tornado in Germany this year so far,” he told RP Online.
A series of storms have hit the country in the last few days, following a heat wave with sweltering temperatures up to 35C.
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This video by German newspaper Rheinishe Post shows the damage.
The tornado damaged properties and overturned cars in Bocholt. A total of nine houses are said to have been damaged and about 100 trees uprooted.
One person was injured in the weather phenomenon although not seriously.
Around 90 fire fighters were on duty for hours during the night.
The chaos after the tornado. Photo: DPA
The clean-up was underway on Wednesday. But forecasters have warned that more extreme and stormy weather could hit the west of Germany, although the weather is expected to ease off at the end of the week.
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