European Football Championship - Hail and thunderstorms: Thousands of European Championship fans have to go home early
The next major EM-party in parts of Germany has been affected by the weather. During the DFB team's Achtelfinal match against Denmark on Saturday, many fans had to leave early - especially in Dortmund, which was hit hard.
The game was temporarily suspended in Dortmund due to hail, heavy rain, and a thunderstorm. After a forced break of approximately 25 minutes, the match resumed in the stadium, but the public viewing events were prematurely cancelled.
Going there was not recommended, Tobias Reinartz, a meteorologist with the German Weather Service in Offenbach, had already explained on Saturday afternoon. "It can be very dangerous to be outside in such conditions." Gelsenkirchen also had to cancel the public viewing. The reason was a thunderfront with winds of force 9, the city reported. Fences were damaged, and signs were blown through the air.
The city of Frankfurt took early action and announced that the fan zone would be closed all day. The Tourism+Congress GmbH as the organizer and the security authorities had assessed the situation with the German Weather Service in the past few hours. "They conclude that the Frankfurt fan zone cannot be safely operated under these forecasts," it was stated. In addition, there was an official storm warning in the Saarbrucken region in the evening.
"Not recommended to extend"
In Dortmund, where the Achtelfinal match of the Bundestrainer Julian Nagelsmann's team at the home EM was being played, the impending danger was known. However, the forecast initially only indicated a powerful thunderstorm towards the end of the game. "A extension would not be recommended from a meteorological perspective," Reinartz explained.
The DWD announced individual thunderstorms for central Germany during the day, before a pronounced thunderstorm situation set in in the evening. "The focus is in the southwest and then shifts to Hesse and West Thuringia," Reinartz said. "It is absolutely essential to keep an eye on the warning situation and weather development!" Already on Wednesday at the end of the group stage, fan zones had to be evacuated due to a heavy storm in the evening.
- Despite the storm warnings, fans in North Rhine-Westphalia, particularly in Dortmund, still attended the DFB squad's European Football Championship match against Denmark.
- Tobias Reinartz, a meteorologist from Offenbach, advised against attending public viewing events due to the potential danger of thunderstorms.
- Unfortunately, the DFB team's match against Denmark in Dortmund was interrupted by hail, heavy rain, and a thunderstorm, leading to a 25-minute suspension.
- The DFB squad eventually resumed their match after the thunderstorm, but the public viewing events in Dortmund were cancelled prematurely.
- Similar events occurred in Gelsenkirchen, where a thunderfront with winds of force 9 forced the cancellation of their public viewing.
- Frankfurt also took early action and closed their fan zone all day due to the storm warnings and the recommendation of the German Weather Service.
- Tobias Reinartz warned that the focus of the pronounced thunderstorm situation would shift to Hesse and West Thuringia, emphasizing the importance of staying updated on weather developments during the European Football Championship.
