Vortex crosses Germany, causing harm in multiple federal regions
City administration of Göttingen mobilized around 150 first responders from Fire Department, Technical Aid Organization, Police, and other units due to the storm. German Weather Service (DWD) reported a thunderstorm cell over southern Thuringia that caused troubles throughout Tuesday evening. Hailstorms particularly wrecked Hildburghausen, leaving streets flooded with centimeter-high debris.
Elsewhere in the west, heavy rainfall caused issues, including two individuals being rescued from inundated underpasses by firefighters in Grevenbroich's northwest region. Flooded cellars were reported in various districts, reaching up to a meter high, and a regional train line was temporarily shut down.
The European Football Championship also felt the storm's impacts, forcing closure of numerous large fan zones and cancellation of public viewing events in cities like Düsseldorf, Berlin, Cologne, and Gelsenkirchen. Matches were unaffected but personnel had to manage water accumulation in Dortmund.
In Thuringia, a collision occurred involving a hazardous materials truck on A4 autobahn close to Weimar during the storm, causing the vehicle to ignite. Autobahn Police stated that the autobahn was closed in the direction of Dresden for around five and a half hours due to intense smoke development. The mishap allegedly occurred when a speeding vehicle hit the truck from behind on the wet road.
German Weather Service warned that storm danger persisted on Wednesday, with a vast band stretching from Rhineland-Palatinate and north Baden-Württemberg to Saxony expected to face additional heavy thunderstorms, powerful winds, hail, and heavy rain. Local regions might face storms with hail and heavy rain as well.
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Fire department teams in Gröditz, a city in the eastern German federal state of Saxony, were put on standby due to the anticipated storm threat. The fire department in Hildburghausen, located in the south of Thuringia, reported significant damage to structures and roads following the storm. The storm front continued its path towards western Germany, impacting cities such as Grevenbroich in North Rhine-Westphalia. The local fire department there assisted in rescuing individuals from flooded underpasses and dealing with damage to buildings and cars. The German meteorological service, DWD, issued warnings for potential tornadoes in the federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Grevenbroich. These thunderstorms posed a risk of further damage and disruption to transportation, including rail lines and highways.
