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WEATHER

Hot, humid weather to give way to mid-week rain

Sunshine will heat up most of Germany on Monday and Tuesday, but noticeably cooler and potentially stormy conditions are in store for the latter half of the week, the German Weather Service (DWD) said Monday.

Published: 27 June 2011 14:39 CEST
Hot, humid weather to give way to mid-week rain
Photo: DPA

A high pressure system over central Europe is driving the sunny, hot and dry weather early in the week, said DWD meteorologist Thomas Ruppert in a statement. Germany can expect temperatures reaching 24 degrees in coastal regions in the east and climbing to a sweltering 34 degrees in the southwest.

“Wednesday, a low pressure system from Iceland will bring showers and storms,” Ruppert said. “While brisk sea air will bring changing conditions and noticeably cooler temperatures starting Thursday.”

The west will see heavy cloud cover bringing showers on Wednesday, while in the east sunshine will gradually give way to storm clouds bringing heavy rain, winds and potentially hail to the region.

Temperatures in the east will reach between 26 and 31 degrees, while the cooler west will remain between 20 and 25 degrees. Moderate northerly winds could get stronger as evening approaches.

Wednesday night, eastern regions will see thunderstorms, while temperatures across Germany will hover between 12 and 16 degrees.

The rain in the east will continue into Thursday morning, while showers and brief storms could develop in the west in the afternoon. The air will be cooler at 19 to 21 degrees overall, cooled by brisk winds out of the northwest.

Thursday night, the showers will subside, but cloud cover will remain, with temperatures dropping to between 10 and 14 degrees.

The Local/adn

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FLOODS

German communities brace for flooding as water levels continue to rise

Water levels on the Elbe and Oder rivers in Germany are rising, sparking preparations for floods as the clean-up across central Europe gets underway.

Published: 19 September 2024 10:12 CEST
German communities brace for flooding as water levels continue to rise

As several countries in Europe face the devastating aftermath of severe flooding following torrential rain, communities in some regions of Germany are trying to manage rising water levels. 

According to a forecast by the state flood centre, the water on the Elbe river has not yet reached expected peaks. In the city of Dresden, the Elbe rose above the six-metre mark on Wednesday. There, as well as in Schöna on the border with the Czech Republic, the flood peak is expected on Thursday.

There is a cautious all-clear along other rivers in the east and south of Germany. Further north, however, Brandenburg is looking anxiously at the Oder river, which is expected to bring more water in the coming days.

READ ALSO: Parts of Germany hit by flooding as torrential rain wreaks havoc across central Europe

Flood crisis teams are due to meet in Frankfurt (Oder), located at the border with Poland, and other municipalities in Brandenburg on Thursday. A level 1 flood alert was issued for sections of the river on Wednesday.

According to the State Office for the Environment, floodplains and meadows close to the banks are expected to start flooding, with the areas of the Oder village of Ratzdorf to Eisenhüttenstadt particularly affected.

The state office believes the highest alert level – level 4 – with a water level of around six metres will be reached in the next few days near Ratzdorf, where the Oder reaches Brandenburg territory.

Clean-up work underway in central and eastern Europe

In the flood-hit areas from Poland to the Czech Republic and Austria, the clean-up work has now begun, but the situation is only slowly easing.

In many places, the emergency services are still struggling with masses of water. Soldiers are also providing support in Poland and the Czech Republic. However, the authorities are not yet giving the all-clear. So far, more than 20 people have tragically lost their lives in the region due to the extreme weather.

In the Polish city of Wroclaw in the west of the country, the flood wave was not expected until Thursday night. As several tributaries that also carry a lot of water flow into the Oder between Olawa and Wroclaw, the possibility of flooding in the Lower Silesian metropolis cannot be ruled out, said an expert.

Flooding in Bresgau Poland

A drone captures the high water levels in Bresgau, Poland, on September 19th. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/PAP | Maciej Kulczynski

Flood defences in Wroclaw have been reinforced as a precautionary measure. One third of the city of 630,000 inhabitants was flooded during the Oder flood in 1997.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to visit Poland on Thursday afternoon. According to the EU Commission, the trip is being organised at the invitation of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, his Slovakian counterpart Robert Fico and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer are also expected to attend the meeting.

The talks are likely to focus on the question of funds from Brussels for reconstruction although the extent of the damage is still unclear.

With reporting from DPA

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