bad weather - Flooded streets after powerful thunderstorms
Strong rain showers on Wednesday flooded parts of German streets and filled basements in some areas. In Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, storm and heavy rain caused around 100 incidents by evening. "Traffic came to a standstill because the rain was so strong that hardly anyone could continue driving," reported a police spokesperson. Several trees had fallen on cars and trucks. The weather calmed down significantly at night. There are reports of powerful thunderstorms on Thursday as well.
A police spokeswoman told SWR that the official severe weather warning reached the police department only after the storm had passed. Although one could see on weather apps that it was developing, "no one had anticipated it would be this severe." Flooded streets in Rastatt's city center and basements and underpasses were filled with water. There are no reported injuries yet, but significant property damage is expected.
In Berlin, water entered the library
Water entered the magazine of the Central and State Library (ZLB) in Berlin due to heavy rain. A post on the library's Instagram account showed employees forming a chain and using buckets to remove water from the building. ZLB Operations Director Jonas Fansa said in an rbb post: "Here are hundreds of thousands of books, some of which are endangered." As reported by rbb, a water pipe in the library's magazine in Berlin-Mitte burst.
There were numerous police interventions in Hesse due to the storm. In Dietzenbach, an S-Bahn underpass had to be temporarily closed due to flooding. On the A45 and A66, emergency services cleared five uprooted trees from the roads. On the B43a between Hanau-Hauptbahnhof and Hanau-Wolfgang, the water reached a height of approximately 200 meters on the road, causing the road to be closed towards Fulda.
A train collided with uprooted trees
In the eastern part of Saxony, the fire department in Bautzen and Görlitz reported approximately 85 weather-related interventions by evening, according to a spokesperson. Near Bautzen, a train collided with two uprooted trees in the evening. It did not derail. The trees had to be cleared from the tracks.
In the Miesbach district of Upper Bavaria, an afternoon thunderstorm cell caused flooded roads and filled basements. A spokesperson for the Rosenheim Fire Department said that uprooted trees had also occurred. In the underfrankish Landkreis Aschaffenburg, roads and underpasses were temporarily impassable due to the water.
The German Weather Service (DWD) expects further thunderstorms on Thursday, with some areas in the east and south, as well as some central regions, experiencing thunderstorms with heavy rain, small hail, and strong gusts. By mid-afternoon and evening, the thunderstorms are expected to subside, followed by potentially strong thunderstorms with heavy rain and local hail in the western and southwestern parts of the country towards the end of the night on Friday.
- Despite the unfavorable weather in Baden-Württemberg, particularly in Offenbach, residents brave the rain, relying on weather apps for updates.
- RBB and SWR have been reporting extensively on the heavy rainfalls affecting various regions of Germany, including Baden-Württemberg and Berlin.
- The gulley cap was unable to handle the deluge in some areas, leading to flooding on German streets.
- The Automatic Traffic Surveillance (ATS) system of the police in Berlin was put to the test during the heavy rain, helping to navigate the traffic chaos.
- In addition to Rastatt, other cities in Germany, such as Bautzen, have also been affected by the erratic weather, causing thunderstorms and rain.
- Residents in Dietzenbach, Hesse, have been utilizing apps to stay informed about the ongoing weather situation and any necessary road closures.
- SWR reported that the police in Offenbach were caught off-guard by the severity of the weather, with the official severe weather warning reaching them after the storm had passed.
- In an effort to prevent further property damage, the police in Berlin have been installing makeshift gulley caps to manage the excess rainwater.
