Weather - Severe storms in large parts of Germany
Thunderstorms caused disruptions to fire departments and traffic in wide parts of Germany. The railway line between Bremen and Hamburg was closed on Thursday evening. The duration of the disruption due to a landslide at Tostedt in Lower Saxony is still unknown.
In Dresden, two employees at a supermarket were taken to the hospital after a power outage caused by a lightning strike. The woman and man complained of headaches and nausea, according to the fire department. The lightning strike triggered a defect in a refrigeration unit. In addition, a chemical odor spread in the supermarket, the cause of which was unclear.
Thunderstorm cell in North Rhine-Westfalia
A heavy thunderstorm in Detmold, North Rhine-Westfalia, caused up to 100 liters of rain per square meter within a short time, according to city officials. A thunderstorm cell unleashed its power over the northeastern part of the city, as stated in a press release. In comparison, North Rhine-Westfalia 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, according to a police spokesperson in the evening.
No one was harmed by the storm. Two accidents occurred, but it remained damage to fenders. The fire department was called to over 150 interventions. Numerous cellars had to be pumped out.
Thunderstorms in Thuringia - Lightning strike and flooding
Heavy thunderstorms kept the fire department busy in parts of Thuringia on Thursday evening. The Federal Highway 281 near Neuhaus had to be closed early in the evening due to flooding, according to a spokeswoman from the crisis center in Erfurt.
In Gerthausen in southwestern Thuringia, the fire department was in action, according to 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 lightning strike had hit a semi-detached house in Ilmenau (Ilm-District) and caused extensive damage.
Interventions in Hesse and Hamburg - Long-distance traffic disrupted
The volunteer fire department in the Hessian district of Hersfeld-Rotenburg was called to over 200 interventions by the early evening. Mostly it went about flooded cellars and overflowing streets. In Hannover, several parks were closed due to a weather warning.
In Hamburg, there were many interventions due to heavy rain. Streets were flooded and cellars, businesses, and underground garages were filled. Mainly the eastern part of the city was affected, as the fire department reported. Through the storm, numerous trees were uprooted, and part of the roof of a multi-family house was torn off. Between noon and early evening, the fire department counted over 700 weather-related interventions in the Hanseatic city.
Railway line between Bremen and Hamburg flooded
How long the rail line between Hamburg and Bremen will remain closed due to the aftermath of the storms was uncertain as of Thursday evening, according to a Bahn spokesperson. It was unclear if service would resume on Friday, she added. "We're making every effort for everything to be running again tomorrow. But that depends on when the water can drain off and if it rains again at night," the spokesperson said.
Long-distance trains are currently being rerouted via Hanover. Metronom regional trains are not running on the section between Bremen and Rotenburg, but some local trains can still operate. Damage to the overhead power lines has been reported on certain sections of the track.
Multiple railway lines in Baden-Württemberg closed
In various regions of Baden-Württemberg, several railway lines have been disrupted. DB Regio announced on Thursday evening on the platform X that the section between Herbertingen (Sigmaringen district) and Aulendorf (Ravensburg district) is closed. In addition, a tree had fallen on the track between Crailsheim and Schwaebisch Hall-Hessental in the northeastern part of the state.
The S-Bahn Stuttgart announced in the evening that the line between Rohr and Boeblingen is currently only single-track due to a tree and branches in the track bed. Furthermore, no train service is possible on Line S2 between Grunbach and Schorndorf due to an overhead power line fault.
- In Bremen, the fire department was prepared for possible storm-related operations, given the threat of heavy rain.
- The fire department in Hanover, located in Lower Saxony, was also on high alert due to the upcoming storms in North Germany.
- Despite the storm in Dresden, a train route between the cities of Dresden and Bremen continued its operation, ensuring travel for many people.
- Thuringia, a state in the eastern part of Germany, experienced heavy rain and flooding, leading to traffic obstructions and fire department interventions.
- The Fire department in Tostedt, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, was not affected by the thunderstorm but stood ready to assist in case of any emergencies.
- The weather in Detmold, another city in North Rhine-Westphalia, was marked by intense rainfall, which caused flooding and disrupted the usual traffic flow.
- A woman in Gerthausen, Thuringia, was especially grateful for the fire department's quick intervention in pumping out her flood-damaged cellar during the storm.
- The fire department in Hamburg, the largest city in Germany, dealt with numerous interventions due to the storm, from flooded streets to damaged buildings.
- A severe thunderstorm in the state of Baden-Württemberg led to multiple railway line closures, necessitating temporary rerouting for long-distance and regional trains.
