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WEATHER

Travel chaos after thunderstorms and rain lash eastern Germany

Commuters faced travel disruption on Wednesday due to torrential rain, giant hailstones and thunderstorms in the east of the country.

Travel chaos after thunderstorms and rain lash eastern Germany
Lightning above the Federal Chancellery in Berlin on Tuesday night. Photo: DPA

The storms resulted in flooded streets, homes and roads as well as fallen trees – and fires caused by lightning strikes, reported broadcaster RBB 24.

Hailstones as big as table tennis balls – around five centimetres in size – were recorded by the German Weather Service (DWD) in Saxony and Brandenburg.

In Berlin and nearby Potstdam alone, emergency services were called out more than 300 times.

Due to flooding, sections of two important motorways had to be closed. The Stadtring (A100) at Kaiserdamm in the direction of Neukölln was still shut on Wednesday morning.

Traffic was being diverted via the Kaiserdamm exit, causing delays.

SEE ALSO: IN PICTURES – Giant hailstones hit Munich as storms continue across Germany

Flooding in the west of Berlin. Photo: DPA

The A115 (known as the AVUS) between Spanischer Allee and Kreuz Zehlendorf was closed in both directions on Wednesday, a police spokesman said. The closure was causing traffic jams.

The Schlichtallee road in Rummelsburg between Haupt and Lückstraße was also closed. Other roads, including the Sachsendamm, became flooded.

Emergency forces had to pull several vehicles out of the water in the night. Traffic lights also failed throughout the city.

SEE ALSO: Thunderstorms and heat wave forecast for Germany

S-Bahn disruption

The Berlin S-Bahn was also affected by the weather. According to operator Deutsche Bahn, a lightning strike in Alt-Reinickendorf was causing delays and possible train cancellations on the S25 line.

Some ticket machines were not working due to power outages.

Passengers at both Berlin airports – Tegel and Schönefeld – faced delays as they were unable to board or disembark aircrafts for several hours between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning. However, a spokesperson for the airports said take-offs and landings were possible.

The spokesperson could not say how many passengers were affected.

Cars stuck

The Brandenburg state capital Potsdam was also hit particularly hard by the thunderstorms and torrential rain. Cellars and underground garages filled with water, streets were flooded, trees overturned and cars were damaged.

Rescue workers in Potsdam. Photo: DPA

In the Babelsberg district, a car got stuck in an underpass and had to be pulled out of the water by rescue teams. In the Bornim area, a house caught fire after lightning struck. The residents were able to get out in time and nobody was injured.

Storm chaos

Giant hailstones, similar to the hail showers in Munich on Monday, were reported in Saxony and Brandenburg.

Meanwhile, in Prerow, in the northern German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, an apartment building caught fire after lightning struck. Luckily, nobody was injured.

In Bad Hersfeld in Hesse, thunderstorm warnings had an effect on the festival programme for Hessentag, an annual celebration held in the central German state. To be on the safe side, organizers cancelled Tuesday evening's events.

More rainfall and storms

Forecasters have a warning in place for more storms in the east of the country on Wednesday. The warning is from 1pm until midnight on Thursday.

Lightning in Brandenburg on Tuesday night. Photo: DPA

Thunderstorms, giant hailstones, winds of up to 100km/h and heavy rain could be on the way.

In some places, such as parts of Saxony, huge amounts of rainfall is possible, a DWD spokesperson said.

The map shows the storm warning in eastern Germany on Wednesday, and the heat warning further east.

Temperatures in eastern Germany will remain very warm on Wednesday. According to the DWD, the mercury could climb to 34C, with the Brandenburg city of Frankfurt/Oder becoming particularly hot.

In western Germany it is becoming cooler, and in many places the temperature will remain below 20C.

The thunderstorms are expected to move east towards Poland in the night. The risk of storms in Germany decreases on Thursday and Friday.

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WEATHER

‘Turbo spring’: Germany to see temperatures above 25C

Germany is set for a blast of warm weather in the coming week as the colder spell eases off.

'Turbo spring': Germany to see temperatures above 25C

“The late winter weather of the past few days with frost and snow is a thing of the past for the time being, and spring will kick into turbo gear over the next few days,” said meteorologist Adrian Leyser from the German Weather Service (DWD) on Friday.

Temperatures are expected to rise sharply over the weekend with plenty of sunshine, forecasters said. In Germany anything above 25C is classed as a summer day. “The summer mark of 25C will be cracked regionally as early as Sunday,” said Leyser.

It comes as snow and hail hit Germany last week, and temperatures fell below freezing in some places.

But showers and thunderstorms are still possible in the west and north of Germany. Maximum temperatures there are expected to reach around 20C. 

According to the DWD, spring will get a little damper on Monday, with a few rain spells.  “However, the next low pressure system over Western Europe is preparing to turn on the warm air jet again from Tuesday,” said the meteorologist.

On Wednesday – which is a public holiday across Germany for International Workers’ Day – temperatures could soar nearer 30C. 

“In the south and east, we are even approaching the 30C mark,” said Leyser. However, the weather will remain “susceptible to disruption”, said Leyser, especially in the west where there is a risk of isolated and sometimes severe thunderstorms.

READ ALSO: What to do on May 1st in Germany

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