Heavy thunderstorms and heavy rain

Storm - Heavy thunderstorms and heavy rain

Weather incidents led to fire department interventions and traffic disruptions in parts of Germany. The railway line between Bremen and Hamburg was closed. Long-distance trains were rerouted without stopping over Hannover, as the railway announced. The length of time the track will be closed due to heavy rain at Tostedt in Lower Saxony is unclear.

Thunderstorm cell in North Rhine-Westphalia

A violent storm in Detmold, North Rhine-Westphalia, caused up to 100 liters of rain per square meter within a short time, according to city statements. A thunderstorm cell unleashed its powerful fury over the city's northeastern area, as stated in a message. For comparison, North Rhine-Westphalia had an average of 91 liters of rain per square meter in the entire month of April - that's around 50% more rainfall than in average years.

The Federal Highway 239 was flooded for approximately two kilometers. The water reached about 60 centimeters high on the bypass, said a police spokesperson in the evening. Currently, the fire department sees no possibility of pumping away the rainfall. "The water would immediately run back onto the streets from the fields," the police spokesperson said.

No one was harmed by the storm. Two accidents occurred during the heavy rain, but it was only property damage. The city of Detmold further reported that parts of the Old Town and especially the district of Kluet were particularly affected. The fire department was called to over 150 interventions. Numerous cellars had to be pumped out.

Thunderstorm in Thuringia

Heavy thunderstorms kept the fire department busy in parts of Thuringia. The Federal Highway 281 near Neuhaus had to be closed early in the evening due to flooding, as a spokesperson from the crisis center in Erfurt said.

In Gerthausen in southwestern Thuringia, the fire department was in action, according to statements from the responsible rescue control center, to pump out cellars. Parts of the town were briefly under water due to heavy rain, as the creek Herpf quickly swelled. "The situation has already calmed down," it was reported in the evening. At noon, a tree had struck a double house in Ilmenau (Ilm-Kreis), causing significant damage from a lightning strike.

Interventions in Hesse and Hamburg

The volunteer fire department in the Hessian district of Hersfeld-Rotenburg was called to over 200 interventions by the early evening. Mostly it was about pumping out flooded cellars and overflown streets.

In Hannover, several parks were closed due to a storm warning. In Hamburg, there were numerous interventions due to heavy rain. Many gullies overflowed, and trees or branches fell on the streets, according to the police.

A tree fell onto the S-Bahn tracks in Hamburg-Bergedorf, said a spokesperson for the German Railways. There, the long-distance traffic in the direction of Berlin was also affected by a closure. This closure has since been lifted.

1. The operational force of the fire department in Tostedt, Lower Saxony, is preparing to manage the aftermath of a potential lightning strike on the railway line, causing traffic disruptions.
2. Despite the ongoing thunderstorm in Germany, some long-distance train routes, like the one between Hanover and Bremen, are still operational.
3. Warnings of thunderstorms have been issued for several regions in North Rhine-Westphalia, including the city of Detmold where a previous storm caused significant rainfall.
4. The fire department in Hamburg has been dealing with numerous interventions due to heavy rain, with many gullies overflowing and causing traffic obstructions.
5. The weather in Thuringia has led to several interventions by the fire department, including in Gerthausen where heavy rain flooded parts of the town and caused property damage from a lightning strike.
6. The railway line between Hamburg and Leipzig was affected by a thunderstorm in Thuringia, leading to delays and rerouting of long-distance trains.
7. In the city of Detmold, the fire department saw no possibility of pumping away the rainfall from the flooded Federal Highway 239, leading to an ongoing obstruction in traffic.
8. Despite the heavy rain in Lower Saxony at Tostedt, the public transportation system in North Rhine-Westphalia and Bremen continues to operate, albeit with potential delays due to the weather.
9. Thunderstorm warnings have also been issued for some parts of Hesse, leading to increased interventions by the local volunteer fire department.
10. The storm in Detmold, North Rhine-Westphalia, resulted in two accidents due to the heavy rain, causing property damage, but no injuries to persons.

Read also:

• Severe flooding continues in southern Germany.
• Floods continue to pose a major threat in southern Germany.
• Rising floods in the southern regions
• Floods: water levels remain critical in many places