Storm - Thunderstorms rage over Germany
Upsidedown Trees, impressive Lightning in the Sky and Sweaty Football Fans: In many parts of Germany, it heavily stormed and lightning struck in the night.
Especially in the West and Southwest, heavy rain and hailstones fell from the sky during the storms. The police and fire departments reported a fortunate outcome afterwards.
The storms in Germany disrupted the Quarterfinals of the Football European Championship. Many fans wanted to watch the German National Team's game against Denmark in Dortmund under open skies or on TV screens. The game ended 2:0 in favor of Germany. Meteorologists of the German Weather Service (DWD) had warned against attending Public Viewing events in the affected regions beforehand. Several events were then also cancelled.
The strongest gust was measured in Frankenberg, Hesse.
In the end, the storms turned out to be less severe than expected. "There were only a few really strong tornadoes and hurricane-like gusts," said a DWD spokesperson in Offenbach. These mainly occurred in Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. "We had assumed, based on models, that it would be a bit wider spread, but that didn't happen." The strongest gust was measured at 107 kilometers per hour in Frankenberg, Hesse.
Notably, it was lightning frequently in the sky: Nationwide, over 100,000 lightning strikes were expected, said DWD meteorologist Nico Bauer. "The lightning activity was very, very high." An exact total was not available on Sunday. Around midnight, meteorologists counted 22,000 lightning strikes per half hour.
There were heavy rainfall in some areas: In certain areas, amounts between 30 and 40 liters per square meter fell in a short time. In some places, 50 to 60 liters fell. Roads and basements were flooded in some places. Trees fell over and blocked roads in some places. Basements were flooded.
Fire departments were called to many incidents - also because lightning struck houses. A multi-family house in Speyer, Rhineland-Palatinate, was hit by lightning. According to the police, no one was injured. In Lubtheen south of Schwerin, there was a fire. The fire department and police in Saarland reported 140 interventions.
Football fans had to be strong
The Quarterfinal match between Germany and Denmark in Dortmund was temporarily interrupted due to the storm. Powerful lightning bolts could be seen above the stadium, hail and heavy rain fell on the pitch. Large water puddles formed on the front rows of the spectator stands due to the heavy rain. After a 25-minute pause, the game resumed.
The Public Viewing events in Dortmund were cancelled early, as the danger from the storm for the fans was too great, it was explained. In Frankfurt am Main, the fan zone was already closed in advance. But other gatherings were also affected: The SWR3 Rheinland-Pfalz Open Air concert in Mainz had to be cancelled due to the storm. Nearly 10,000 people had come to the event site at the Große Bleiche in Mainz.
Important railway lines were closed for hours.
Larger disabilities on the roads and rails were not reported. However, it took longer to reach the destination in some cases. On the railway line between Dortmund and Hamm, according to the German Federal Police, there were lightning strikes in the evening. No one was injured, but the track was temporarily closed. The railway line between Hannover and Minden was also closed for over an hour due to a lightning strike.
What are the prospects?
Recently, Germany has experienced several heavy thunderstorms. For example, in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, heavy flooding with several deaths occurred due to these thunderstorms.
At the beginning of the new week, the DWD expects changeable and significantly cooler weather. It will continue to rain intermittently, and there is a possibility of thunderstorms. The temperatures will not exceed 20 degrees Celsius maximally. According to meteorologists, warmer weather is expected only from the coming weekend.
- Despite the rain, soccer fans in Dortmund remained eager to watch the German National Team's game against Denmark.
- The thunderstorms in Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse were accompanied by frequent lightning strikes.
- The storm in Frankenberg, Hesse, was so strong that it disrupted the European Football Championship Quarterfinals.
- DWD meteorologist Nico Bauer predicted over 100,000 lightning strikes throughout Germany during the storm.
- The heavy rain in Denmark caused flooding and disruptions to the country's infrastructure, affecting their preparations for the game against Germany.
- The Frankenberg fire department was kept busy dealing with incidents caused by the storm, including houses struck by lightning.
- In Offenbach, the DWD spokesperson was relieved that the storm was less severe than predicted, with only a few hurricane-like gusts.
- The storm in Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse caused significant damage, including fallen trees and flooded roads and basements.
- The German Federal Police reported lightning strikes on important railway lines between Dortmund and Hamm, temporarily closing the tracks.
- As the climate continues to change, experts predict an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events like thunderstorms in Europe, affecting future soccer matches and public events.
