The German Weather Service (DWD) said it expects thunderstorms, hailstones and gale force winds in the west and centre of Germany on Tuesday, moving eastwards later in the day.
Fan areas for the UEFA European Football Championship will remain closed in several cities in North Rhine-Westphalia, including Cologne and Düsseldorf.
Forecasters said heavy thunderstorms will develop from late morning, while storms are also expected in the east towards the evening.
Locally, large hailstones, strong gusts of winds and rainfall up to 30 litres per square metre are expected.
According to meteorologists, isolated tornadoes cannot be ruled out in the west and centre of the country.
Although northern regions are not affected by the thunderstorms, heavy rain is forecast in the north and north-west of Germany. The DWD said from Tuesday morning, rainfall between 20 and 35 litres per square metre is possible within a few hours.
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Cities close fan zones
Football fans in North Rhine-Westphalia will have to look for other places to watch the Euro matches on Tuesday or watch them at home because the fan zones in several cities will remain closed due to the risk of bad weather.
This affects the fan zones in Düsseldorf, Cologne and Gelsenkirchen as well as Dortmund, where Turkey’s match against Georgia kicks off at 6 pm.
Up to 80,000 Turkish supporters are expected to descend on Dortmund, with many planning to gather in fan areas before the match.
However, the “meeting points” planned with the fan associations of both nations have been cancelled, according to the city.
“Dortmund was really looking forward to and preparing for a big fan party with tens of thousands of Turkish and Georgian fans in the city,” said Martin Sauer, the city’s representative for the European Championships. However, he said the safety of the fans has priority.
In the second match of the day, Portugal and the Czech Republic will meet in Leipzig at 9 pm. A severe thunderstorm warning is also in place here from 6 pm – but there were no reports of closures early on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, many Scottish and Swiss fans will be travelling to Cologne on Tuesday ahead of their match on Wednesday at 9pm. Although some showers are forecast, fans will be hoping that the worst of the storms have passed by then.
IN PICTURES: Football fans take over German cities for Euro 2024
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