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.
