Unpredictable weatherevent unleashes powerful winds and heavy rainfall, disrupting daily activities. - Damaged power lines, covered residences, uprooted vegetation - suspected tornado in Saxony
In the Meissen district, a catastrophic weather occurrence wreaked havoc in the town of Groditz on a Tuesday. It's speculated that a twister might've struck the small hamlet, as the city's PR officer confirmed on a Wednesday morning. The fire department utilized drone footage to trace a path, hinting at a possible twister.
The emergency services responded to around 77 incidents in the town due to the weather event. A power line and a railway track were compromised. Moreover, the PR officer reported damaged roofs, smashed vehicles, and uprooted trees. The fire department was still on the scene on a Wednesday.
DWD: Circumstances for a Twister were present
Whether a twister indeed hit Groditz is still uncertain. A team of specialists is still examining the data, said meteorologist Florian Engelmann from the German Weather Service (DWD) on a Wednesday morning. "Just because there were strong winds and damages, it doesn't necessarily imply that a twister occurred," Engelmann elaborated. However, the conditions that could foster a twister were in place.
Around one kilometer-high atmospheric layers vulnerable to thunderstorms, a low cloud cover at altitudes of 800 to 1000 meters above the ground, and significant wind contrasts on a small scale are essential for a twister to form. Only these factors would allow for the rotational movement of a twister, Engelmann added. It's also challenging to predict twisters due to these factors. However, the weather event in Germany is unusual.
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The tornado suspectedly hit the power pole in Gröditz, causing an interruption in electricity supply. Responding to the weather incident, the Meissen fire department joined efforts to survey the damage in the neighboring town. Lying approximately 20 kilometers north of Meissen, Gröditz was also impacted by the storm that swept across Saxony, further fueling the speculation of a tornado.
