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WEATHER

Thunderstorms and heat wave forecast for Germany

More thunderstorms and extreme hail showers are on the way to Germany, according to forecasters.

Published: 11 June 2019 12:22 CEST
Updated: 11 June 2019 16:59 CEST
Thunderstorms and heat wave forecast for Germany
Lightning in Dresden on Monday night. Photo: DPA

After giant hailstones battered Munich and the surrounding area on Monday, the German Weather Service (DWD) said there is a risk of further thunderstorms, torrential rain, high winds and hail throughout Germany on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Forecasters have warned that the east and southeast of the country are likely to face more extreme weather on Tuesday, while thunderstorms are to spread north in the night.

They added that sweltering temperatures up to 32C are expected in the east of the country. A heat warning has been put in place there.

This German Weather Service report shows where storms are expected, plus it highlights the heat warning in the east.

50,000 lightning flashes

On Monday night and in the early hours of Tuesday morning, the roar of thunder awakened many people in eastern parts of Germany.

Those who looked out of the window in Berlin and Brandenburg witnessed a natural spectacle: around 50,000 lightning flashes lit the sky in the region, reported broadcaster RBB 24.

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

Lightning in Berlin in the early hours of Tuesday. Photo: DPA

In the whole of 2019, around 130,000 lightning bolts illuminated the skies in this region, indicating the phenomenon of the latest storm.

According to BILD, the figures are calculated on weather data from 155 interconnected measuring stations.

A spokesman for the Berlin fire brigade said, luckily, there was no major storm damage.

In Finsterwalde, Brandenburg, a lightning strike triggered a roof fire, but it was quickly extinguished, a spokeswoman for the Lausitz control centre told RBB24. The heavy rain led to smaller operations after water flooded some basements.

Thunder clouds in Brandenburg. Photo: DPA

The DWD said strong thunderstorms could lash the region on Tuesday evening. This could result in gusts of wind of up to 80 km/h combined with heavy rain. Giant hailstones and wind speeds up to 95 km/h are also possible, said DWD.

The large nationwide differences in temperature remain: temperatures in the southeast and east were expected to be between 25 and 32C on Tuesday, while in the central and northern parts of Germany it should be noticeably cooler at 21 to 25C. In the west and southwest, the mercury is expected to reach just 16 to 20C.

According to forecasters, the risk of thunderstorms will decrease on Thursday.

Storms throughout the south and east

On Monday, the focus of the storm front was on southern Germany and Saxony.

As the Local reported, the hail shower in the Munich area caused injuries, and damaged property when it fell during a storm in the afternoon on Monday.

Several car windows were broken by the hailstones. Meanwhile, houses were submerged in water as torrential rain fell.

Emergency teams were called out on 550 operations in Munich alone, DPA reported.

In the south of Saxony 30 to 50 litres of rain fell per hour, the DWD registered hailstones with a diameter of up to four centimetres. In the Erzgebirgskreis region, the police reported several flooded streets.

It comes after a series of extreme weather incidents in Germany in recent weeks, which included a tornado in western Germany.

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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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