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WEATHER

Myth-testing teenager injures tongue on chilly lamppost

A teenager in Saarland who wanted the test the popular theory about tongues and lampposts in sub-zero weather learned a painful lesson over the weekend, police reported.

Published: 21 December 2009 10:05 CET
Myth-testing teenager injures tongue on chilly lamppost
Photo: DPA

As Germany battled freezing weekend weather that caused transport chaos and at least six deaths, the witless youth, 16, stuck his tongue to a lamppost in the city of Saarlouis on Saturday night and had to be treated by paramedics after he tore himself loose.

A police spokesman said the youth’s friend called emergency services, but by the time the ambulance arrived the boy had torn himself free, leaving paramedics with the job of treating him for a bloody tongue.

Remarkably, paramedics said this was not the first such incident they had been called to help with on Saturday night in Saarland, where the temperature dropped to -20 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, flights resumed at Düsseldorf airport – Germany’s third largest – on Monday morning after being cancelled or redirected over much of the weekend. Between 8,000 and 10,000 people were stranded at the airport over the weekend as heavy snowfalls caused havoc with flight plans. Flights in and out of Frankfurt were also disrupted.

By Monday morning, temperatures had begun to creep back up across Germany after plummeting as low as -30 degrees in parts of the country on Saturday night.

Click here for The Local’s weather forecast.

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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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