Heavy rain and thunderstorms
Storm in Germany – European Championship fan zones closed
At least a little protection: football fans in Dortmund have taken shelter at food stalls during the pouring rain. Photo
© Christoph Reichwein/dpa
Meteorologists are once again expecting severe weather. It could also affect football fans. Those responsible for public viewing have already reacted.
The German Weather Service (DWD) in Offenbach issued clear words: “There is a threat of a severe thunderstorm across the middle of the country, which will last from midday today until Wednesday morning,” said DWD meteorologist Marcel Schmid. “Be particularly alert and cautious, there is a risk of fallen trees and damage to buildings and vehicles.”
According to the weather service, the areas most affected will be Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as central and eastern Germany. Advance warnings of severe thunderstorms have already been issued for these regions, said Schmid. It is difficult to predict exactly where lightning, rain and storms will occur.
“Fans’ safety is a priority”
The weather situation comes in the middle of the European Championships at home with many public viewing events. Today the match between Turkey and Georgia will be played in Dortmund and the match between Portugal and the Czech Republic in Leipzig. In Dortmund, the fan zone at Friedensplatz and the public viewing area at Westfalenpark were closed in advance. Up to 80,000 Turkish fans were expected in the city. In the stadium itself, videos on social media showed stewards battling against masses of water before the match. It was initially dry at kick-off.
Fighting the floodwaters: Employees are on duty in the stadium before the Türkiye vs. Georgia match.
The European Championship fan zone on Leipzig’s Augustusplatz was temporarily closed in the afternoon due to an expected storm. However, if the weather conditions improve again, the organizers want to restart the technology, said the fan zone spokeswoman.
DFB President: “This is simply a precautionary measure”
The capital Berlin also reacted with its fan zones at the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag. Due to the official storm warning issued by the German Weather Service, visitors would be directed off the grounds by 4 p.m., the organizer, Kulturprojekte Berlin, announced. No European Championship broadcast was planned in the fan zone at the Brandenburg Gate anyway, but all of the games can actually be seen at the Reichstag.
The President of the German Football Association (DFB), Bernd Neuendorf, welcomed the reactions of the organizers on Tuesday. “This is simply a precautionary measure because we naturally want people to celebrate. But if life and limb are potentially in danger, then I think it is quite natural that we had to react here,” said Neuendorf after a meeting with NRW Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) and his cabinet.
Weather will not improve in the next few days
“The first thunderstorms, which do not yet have the character of severe weather, are already occurring in the extreme southwest,” said meteorologist Schmid in the video. It will “not affect everyone” in the area mentioned. “But the potential is increased that so-called supercells will form.” Supercells are thunderstorm cells with high energy. “These are accompanied by large hailstones, grains around five centimeters in size are possible, some of which are tennis balls or even larger.” Heavy gusts and isolated tornadoes are also not ruled out.
Strong gusts of wind in Meißen district – fire department speaks of tornado
In the Meißen district, strong gusts of wind triggered several operations. The fire department reported a tornado in the small town of Gröditz to the control center, a police spokesman said when asked. Among other things, a tree fell onto the railway tracks there. According to current information, no one was injured.
The federal police have been notified, and the Deutsche Bahn emergency department has also been informed. According to the German Weather Service, a tornado is “quite possible”, but this needs to be checked first, they said.
Golf ball-sized hailstones in Thuringia
Meanwhile, in southern Thuringia, large hailstones damaged several cars and corrugated iron roofs. No one was injured, a police spokesman said in response to an inquiry in the evening. In addition, a local county road in the Hildburghausen district was completely covered with golf ball-sized hailstones. The road has now been cleared and is passable again. There were no accidents.
According to the forecast, the weather is not expected to calm down in parts of Germany on Wednesday either. Meteorologists are expecting heavy thunderstorms in central and partly southern Germany. For now, the weather will only calm down in the north and northwest, where, according to the DWD, only a few showers are to be expected. On Wednesday, the German national team will play against Hungary in the European Championships.
On Thursday there will be lightning and thunder, particularly in the west and southwest, sometimes heavy, as the DWD predicts. Elsewhere, however, the sun will shine. Friday will be different: Here, the whole of Germany will have to prepare for showers and sometimes heavy thunderstorms, and in the east and southeast it will be hot again with temperatures of up to 31 degrees.