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WEATHER

Heavy storms hit western Germany following heat wave

Following the hottest day of the year in Germany, storms are hitting the western part of the country.

Published: 3 June 2019 09:05 CEST
Heavy storms hit western Germany following heat wave
Symbol photo shows storms in Bonn, western Germany. Photo: WetterOnline/Shutterstock/DPA

With a peak temperature of 32.9 degrees, Sunday was the hottest day of the year to date in Germany. According to the DWD (German Weather Service), the mercury jumped this high in Geldern-Walbeck, North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as in Lenzen (Elbe) in Brandenburg.

This heat is only expected to increase in eastern Germany, with highs of up to 35 degrees predicted for parts of Brandenburg on Monday. For the rest of the country, the temperature is expected to hover around 22 to 27 degrees.

READ ALSO: Temperatures of 30C predicted in Germany in June

A girl enjoying the warm weather in Brandenburg on Sunday. Photo: DPA

But in the western regions of Germany, DWD warned of heavy thunderstorms with heavy rain, hail and gusts of wind.

On the weather portal kachelmannwetter.de, numerous lightning strikes were reported, particularly in the Rhine country, in the Ruhr district and south of Bremen.

Emergency services in Duisburg were deployed five times on Sunday night due to fallen trees. Several cars were damaged, but people were not injured. According to a police spokesman, numerous households in the Kleve district were briefly affected by a presumably storm-related power failure on Sunday evening.

Strong thunderstorms also struck in Düsseldorf, Mönchengladbach, Essen and Münster – according to the local fire brigades, however, these were mild and did not involve major operations.

A car drives through a puddle in Düsseldorf on Sunday. Photo: DPA

DWD meteorologists expected the thunderstorms to move further east during the course of Monday. In a broad strip from Baden-Württemberg to the Baltic Sea, thunderstorms, heavy rain, wind – and even some hail is expected. In Saxony-Anhalt strong heat thunderstorms with heavy rain and hail are possible.

For Baden-Württemberg, a DWD meteorologist predicted 30 to 40 liters of rain per square meter and hail locally. They couldn’t yet say, however, exactly where the thunderstorms will occur.

“There is potential everywhere. The southern and southeastern part of the country will probably be most affected,” said the meteorologist.

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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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