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WEATHER

Deutsche Bahn halts rail services throughout Germany as storm intensifies

Rail operator Deutsche Bahn said Sunday it was halting long-distance train services in many parts of northwestern Germany because of disruptions caused by Storm Ciara, which also hit other countries in Europe.

Deutsche Bahn halts rail services throughout Germany as storm intensifies
A sign in Oberelsungen, Hesse reads that train traffic is "provisionally suspended" on Sunday afternoon. Photo: DPA

“Since there have already been disruptions caused by the cyclone, we are temporarily halting long-distance travel in large parts of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, North Rhine-Westphalia and Bremen with immediate effect,”  it said on its website.

“Because of current developments and increasingly powerful winds we have decided to progressively suspend all long-distance traffic across Germany from 6 pm,” it said.

Several airports in Germany also had to cancel flights as the storm swept in from the north.

Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich, Cologne and Hanover were among those affected, while at Düsseldorf, 111 flights were scrapped on Sunday.

READ ALSO: Germany braces for violent storms and extreme winds

Winds of more than 120 km/hr predicted

Throughout Europe, Britain and Ireland were lashed by howling winds and inundated with driving rain Sunday as Storm Ciara left homes without power, wiped out sports events and disrupted travel around northwestern Europe.

The bad weather also hit France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland throughout Sunday, causing scores of flights to be cancelled.

According to forecasters in Germany, the wind will continue to increase and heavy gusts are likely in some areas.

“With a cold front moving simultaneously from northwest to southeast, gale-force gusts of over 105 km/h and hurricane-speed gusts are also possible at times,” said the German Weather Service (DWD).

Some weather experts predicted wind speeds of more than 120km/h.

The following map shows DWD's prediction of wind speeds around Germany.

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WEATHER

‘Tornadoes possible’: Severe storms expected across Germany

Thunderstorms, severe rain and wind are expected to plague Euro 2024 fans and festival goers alike in some parts of Germany on Friday.

'Tornadoes possible': Severe storms expected across Germany

According to the German Weather Service (DWD), severe thunderstorms with heavy rain, large hailstones and hurricane gusts are to be expected on Friday, especially in southern and eastern Germany.

Even though the worst of the weather is expected in these regions, forecasters said there may also be storms and strong winds in the west and north of the country.

The DWD warned of thunderstorms affecting the entire eastern half of Germany on Friday afternoon – in eastern Bavaria, Saxony and Brandenburg as far as Berlin.

“The potential for the formation of supercells is high in these areas,” said DWD meteorologist Felix Dietzsch in a statement. A supercell is a type of thunderstorm characterised by the presence of a mesocyclone, or a cloud formation that has a rotating updraft. 

The DWD added that tornadoes are a possibility in eastern regions. 

Additionally, heavy rain with up to 40 litres per square meter are expected in some locations.

The thunderstorms are forecast to move eastwards during the night.

Going into the weekend, the weather is expected to calm down.

Further thunderstorms are possible in the southwest on Saturday, but they are expected to be less severe.

Next week, a longer high-pressure phase will likely bring calm summer weather for the start of the season, with temperatures between 25 and 30 C.

Euro 2024 games and festivals affected

Thunderstorms on Friday afternoon and evening will make watching Friday’s Euro 2024 games uncomfortable in some places.

The Netherlands and France are scheduled to play in Leipzig at 9 pm. The fan zone there, which was temporarily closed on Tuesday due to impending storms, will remain closed on Friday. Fan zones will also remain closed in some other states as a precaution.

Rainy weather may also impact Slovakia and Ukraine’s match in Düsseldorf at 3 pm, and it could hit Poland and Austria’s match in Berlin at 6 pm.

A number of music festivals will also be affected by the weather.

The Hurricane Festival in Lower Saxony and Southside in Baden-Württemberg are both scheduled to begin on Friday, and are each expecting more than 60,000 attendees.

In Saxony-Anhalt, which could be particularly affected by the storms, the Full Force festival also starts on Friday.

Fête de la Musique is also scheduled for Friday at 140 locations across Germany. In Berlin alone 250 concerts are planned across the city from 4-10 pm.

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