- Flooding in Baden - More storms expected
After severe storms in the district of Karlsruhe, the fire department is still in full operation. Especially in Bruchsal and Gondelsheim, hundreds of basements still need to be pumped out, a spokesperson for the district fire department said in the morning.
"The deployment forces will now go through the streets one by one and work through them," the spokesperson reported. These are not time-critical deployments. He assumes that the helpers will be busy with the cleanup work for the whole day.
In parts of Baden-Württemberg, there are renewed thunderstorms and isolated storms in the afternoon. According to the German Weather Service (DWD), it can thunder from the afternoon until Thursday night, with local heavy rain of up to 25 liters of precipitation per square meter in an hour, hail, and storm gusts of up to 80 kilometers per hour possible.
Further storms possible on Wednesday
In some cases, there may also be storms with extremely heavy rain of up to 50 liters of precipitation per square meter in a short time, hail with grain sizes of around three centimeters, and severe storm gusts with speeds of around 90 kilometers per hour. The focus will probably be in the south and southeast of Baden-Württemberg, according to DWD.
On Tuesday evening and in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, storms flooded streets, filled basements, and caused the river Saalbach in the district of Karlsruhe to rise extremely. Firefighters, police, and rescue services were in continuous operation. In Bruchsal, the population was urged via the Nina warning app to evacuate basements and ground floors in certain areas of the city and to seek higher floors. Two helpers from the population were injured - the severity was initially unclear.
"Absolute chaos" in Gondelsheim
In Gondelsheim, about 15 kilometers west of Karlsruhe, a helper was injured while transporting sandbags. A fire department spokesperson reported in the early evening that cars had been washed away. There was "absolute chaos". People had reported being trapped in their cars by the water, a police spokesperson said.
On the social network Facebook, the community reported that the whole town was in a state of emergency. Anyone who could should support friends and neighbors. "Also, after the rain, many helping hands and also pumps etc. will be needed."
According to the flood center, the river Saalbach reached its highest level of over 2.13 meters at the Bruchsal gauge around 2.30 a.m. This was just above the mark for a so-called 100-year flood of 2.10 meters. The old town of the district of Heidelsheim was flooded, and there were also floods in the city center of Bruchsal, for example, of underpasses, according to the fire department. However, the water levels dropped again during the night.
Hundreds of deployments in the Karlsruhe area
The district fire department of the district of Karlsruhe reported shortly before midnight that the firefighters had so far dealt with more than 500 deployments. Around 300 deployments are still open. In total, several hundred people are involved in the deployment. The deployment forces in the district of Karlsruhe are being supported by colleagues from the Rhein-Neckar district, the Enz district, and from Middle Baden, a fire department spokesperson said. The THW is also involved and is helping to pump out basements.
To coordinate storm response across the district of Karlsruhe, the fire department declared an "exceptional deployment situation". Additionally, various cities and municipalities have convened administrative staff and fire stations are continuously manned. The district administration has set up a crisis team.
Power shut off for safety reasons
In Bruchsal, power was shut off in some streets overnight for safety reasons, according to the city. The Fürst-Stirum Clinic was also affected by storm damage, the fire department reported, without providing details. However, it remains fully operational.
Residents reported that the water level rose very quickly. Impressive views from the flood control center showed that the water level in Gondelsheim had been below 10 centimeters for several days and even into Tuesday before suddenly rising to over 2.70 meters - surpassing flood events from 2013 (2.23 meters), 2015 (2.06 meters), and 1983 (1.95 meters). The water level dropped significantly before midnight. In Bruchsal, the water level rose to a similar extent. During the 2013 flood, the water level was 1.68 meters.
Hottest day of the year
In Linkenheim-Hochstetten, lightning struck the attic of a multi-family home, causing a fire. The fire department extinguished the flames.
Later, storms moved north over the Heilbronn region. There were around 20 to 25 deployments due to fallen trees, broken branches, or lifted manhole covers, a police spokeswoman said. No flooded basements were recorded. On the A81 highway, drivers were temporarily warned about aquaplaning.
According to preliminary data from the German Weather Service (DWD), the highest temperature recorded on Tuesday in Waghäusel-Kirrlach in the district of Karlsruhe was 36.3 degrees Celsius, the second-highest in Germany. Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler in Rhineland-Palatinate topped the list with 36.5 degrees. Thus, Tuesday was provisionally the hottest day of the year so far.
The renewed thunderstorms and isolated storms in the afternoon could potentially lead to more flooded streets and basements. Due to the heavy rain, some areas might need additional pumping out by the fire department.
Despite the assistance from other districts and the THW, hundreds of deployments remain open in the Karlsruhe area, indicating that the flood situation is still critical in some parts of the district.
