Storm disrupts rail and air traffic in Hesse

Consequences of severe weather - Storm disrupts rail and air traffic in Hesse

Storm "Zoltan" disrupted rail and air traffic in Hesse. In many places, the fire departments had their hands full on Thursday evening and Friday clearing fallen trees from roads, tracks and properties. There were initially no reports of serious accidents.

Near Niedernhausen (Rheingau-Taunus district), a car driver was slightly injured when a tree fell on his car, according to the fire department. According to the fire department, there were more than 40 storm-related operations throughout the district on Thursday evening. Most of these involved fallen trees that were blocking roads. Some roads were closed. There were brief power outages due to trees falling on overhead lines.

By Friday morning, the Main-Kinzig district control center had received 164 alerts. Most of these were also about fallen trees on roads and properties. However, according to the district administration, there was no damage to property.

According to the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund(RMV), there were delays and cancellations on regional train lines 11, 12 and 15 due to fallen trees near Friedrichsdorf and Usingen (Hochtaunuskreis). The same applied to regional lines 20, 21, 22 and 25 due to fallen trees on the line in the Limburg area.

Disruptions to long-distance rail services

According to Deutsche Bahn, there were disruptions on the regional line between Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe and Erfurt. On long-distance services, the ICE/IC connection Hamburg/Hanover - Kassel - Frankfurt/Stuttgart/Basel was affected. Trains from the north only ran as far as Hanover and from the south as far as Kassel. The same applied to the ICE trains Hamburg/Hanover - Kassel - Würzburg - Munich.

The ICE trains Berlin/Leipzig/Erfurt - Frankfurt were reportedly rerouted between Erfurt and Frankfurt and were delayed by around an hour. In some cases, there were also cancellations or stops were not served. The ICE trains Wiesbaden - Frankfurt - Dresden were diverted between Erfurt and Frankfurt and were also delayed by around an hour. In addition, the ICE/IC trains Cologne - Hamm - Paderborn - Kassel - Munich/Gera between Cologne and Kassel were canceled. The IC trains Münster (Westphalia) - Siegen - Frankfurt (M)/Stuttgart were completely canceled.

Storm "Zoltan" also disrupted operations at Frankfurt Airport on Thursday evening. However, according to the airport operator Fraport, the situation returned to normal on Friday. According to the Hessian Ministry of Transport, the air supervisory authority issued 43 exemptions for take-offs after 23:00 on Thursday evening. The last take-off was a Lufthansa aircraft bound for Belgrade.

According to the ministry, two aircraft diverted to Düsseldorf and Stuttgart. Three aircraft landed after 11.00 pm, the last of which was a Lufthansa aircraft from London Heathrow at 11.23 pm. At Germany's largest airport, there is actually a ban on night flights from 11.00 pm. However, in exceptional cases, such as on Thursday, flight permits can be extended until midnight.

According to a Fraport spokesperson, normal operations at the airport resumed on Friday morning: "All traffic lights are green."

Rain exacerbates flooding situation

The persistent rain exacerbated the flood situation in Hesse. The Hessian State Agency for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology (HLNUG) announced in Wiesbaden on Friday that reporting level 1 had currently been exceeded at 15 water gauges. "The focus of the flood situation in northern Hesse is in the upper reaches of the Fulda, Eder and Diemel catchment areas as well as in the Lahn catchment area," the authority reported. In northern Hesse, it is possible that reporting level 3 will be exceeded in the Diemel and Weser catchment areas at the weekend. This could also flood built-up areas, it said. The Kinzig and Taunus rivers are also expected to exceed reporting levels.

The HLNUG expected further flood levels to be exceeded on the Fulda, Eder and in the Dieme catchment area over the course of Friday and on the Werra on Saturday. Exceedances of higher reporting levels are therefore also possible.

According to the authorities, there is currently no flood situation on the Rhine, Main and Neckar. However, the water levels on the Rhine and Main will rise during the course of the day. It was said that reporting level 1 could be exceeded there towards the end of the week. According to HLNUG, reporting level 1 has already been exceeded on the Neckar. Reporting level 2 is expected to be exceeded during the night from Friday to Saturday.

Reporting level 1 is reached as soon as a body of water is full to the brim and in some places the water is already overflowing its banks. According to HLNUG, reporting level 2 corresponds to a "major flood" that floods properties close to the banks and occasionally causes cellars to overflow. From reporting level 3, towns and villages are enclosed by floodwater and roads are impassable.

Continuous rain in Hesse - even over Christmas

Even after the storm depression has passed, people in Hesse can expect rainy days. The German Weather Service (DWD) reported continuous rain and windy to stormy weather on Friday. Highs are expected to reach between six and ten degrees. It is expected to rain almost all the way through to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

On Saturday, temperatures are expected to reach between seven and ten degrees and on Christmas Eve between nine and eleven degrees. According to the DWD, it will also remain very cloudy throughout the weekend.

Traffic news RMV Traffic news Deutsche Bahn PM about Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis DWD forecast Flood situation in Hesse