- Storms in Germany
After a hot start to the week, severe storms with rain and hail swept across parts of Germany. Particularly affected were North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, and Baden-Württemberg, where emergency services reported flooded basements and flooded streets in several areas by evening. A tree allegedly uprooted due to the storm brought an S-Bahn train with 80 passengers to a halt near Hennef (NRW), as a spokesperson for the railway reported. The passengers were transferred to another train at the scene. A care home in East Frisia had to be evacuated.
According to preliminary data from the German Weather Service (DWD), today was the hottest day of the year so far. The highest temperature of 36.5 degrees was recorded in the Rhineland-Palatinate town of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, as a DWD meteorologist reported. This surpassed the previous record of 35.7 degrees set on Monday.
Storms: Flooded sections on the highway
Storms hit in the evening. "All available emergency services are in action," said a spokesperson for the Duisburg fire department. Almost the entire city area was affected. The clear focus of the operations was water-related problems - flooding in basements and underpasses. There were no serious injuries. However, one person was severely struck by a hailstone, resulting in a head wound. The police also reported several flooded sections on the A59 and A42 highways near Duisburg. They warned of aquaplaning.
In Bonn, the police reported around 30 operations. "Flooded basements, broken branches, trees on the road," a spokesperson listed in the evening. In Haltern am See, the fire brigade also carried out several operations. There too, the focus was on flooded basements and fallen trees. No lives were in danger, and there were no rivers overflowing their banks.
Floodwaters sweep away cars
In Karlsruhe and surrounding areas (Baden-Württemberg), streets were also flooded - basements were flooded. In some places, water was standing half a meter high on the streets or in underpasses, said a police spokesperson. There were no injuries. The area around Bretten and Bruchsal was particularly affected. In Gondelsheim, about 15 kilometers west of Karlsruhe, cars were being swept away by floodwaters, said a fire department spokesperson. "It's absolute chaos."
In Linkenheim-Hochstetten, lightning struck the attic of a multi-family house, setting it on fire, as the police spokesperson reported. The fire department extinguished the fire. Residents are currently partially housed in a church, as the house is without gas and electricity.
Care home must be evacuated
Heavy thunderstorms also led to hundreds of fire department operations in East Frisia (Lower Saxony). The city of Aurich was particularly affected, said a spokesperson for the operations center in Wittmund. A care home had to be evacuated. The number of people affected was initially unclear. A hospital was also severely affected. Emergency services from the fire department and the Technical Relief Agency were trying to pump out the basement to prevent evacuation. "Sandbags are being brought in," said the spokesperson.
Additionally, the Duisburg city spokesperson announced, "The following is added: We've placed sandbags in strategic locations to prevent floodwaters from entering buildings."
Despite the evacuation efforts in Aurich, the Operations Center Wittmund advised, "The following is also important to note: Residents in low-lying areas are encouraged to stay indoors and monitor updates."
