Heavy thunderstorms
More storms over Germany
Dark rain clouds pass over a Ferris wheel on the grounds of the Hurricane Festival in Scheeßel. Photo
© Moritz Frankenberg/dpa
Severe thunderstorms with hurricane-force gusts, heavy rain and hail: the meteorologists of the German Weather Service did not have a good forecast for the start of the weekend.
The start of the weekend was thunderstorm-ridden for many people in Germany. The German Weather Service (DWD) expected an increased risk of severe weather until Friday evening, especially in the southeast and east. In the east of Germany, individual tornadoes could not be ruled out, according to the DWD warning report. In the evening, the DWD finally lifted all severe weather warnings. thunderstorms, but continued to warn of strong thunderstorms in parts of Germany.
In the afternoon, the DWD had expected heavy thunderstorms “in almost all regions of Germany”. As in the past few days, this also had consequences for football fans at the ongoing European Championships (EM). In Berlin, the fan zones at the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag were closed as a precaution. However, the organizers allowed football fans back into the area in time for the EM Group D match between Poland and Austria in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium at 6 p.m.
Storms hit European Championship fan zones again
In Leipzig, the European Championship fan zone was supposed to open later than planned due to the weather conditions. In the evening (9 p.m.) the Netherlands and France will meet in Leipzig.
The storms disrupted train traffic in the south of Saxony-Anhalt. Overhead lines were damaged in the Bitterfeld and Dessau area, Deutsche Bahn reported on X. According to the Anhalt-Bitterfeld control center, trees fell. According to Deutsche Bahn, the ICE connections between Berlin and Leipzig were affected.
For example, in the Mansfeld-Südharz district in Saxony-Anhalt, the fire brigade reported that it was called out to respond to flooded streets and cellars as well as mudslides. 18 fire brigades were alerted and responded to numerous operations, the control centre in Sangerhausen reported. There were brief disruptions on the A38 near Eisfeld because the road was under water.
The fire brigade was also called out in Thuringia due to the storm. In Gotha, for example, drains and cellars were flooded, the district administration reported. Flooded cellars and flooded drains also kept the fire brigade busy in Floh-Seligenthal in the Thuringian district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen. According to a spokesperson for the rescue control centre, the district of Struth-Helmershof was particularly affected. A short shower caused water and mud to appear on the main road.
Festival-goers brave the rain
The Southside music festival in Neuhausen ob Eck, north of Lake Constance, began with a lot of rain and even more mud. Due to the bad weather, entry was delayed at one entrance. The sister festival Hurricane in Scheeßel, Lower Saxony, also began in rainy weather. Due to heavy rain, one of the stages was no longer usable in the evening, and the performance by the British indie rock band The Kooks could not take place as planned. According to a dpa reporter, the mood on the extensive festival grounds was nevertheless exuberant. The rain did not seem to bother the mostly young people much.
And here is the further forecast from the DWD meteorologists: “The moist, very warm and thunderstorm-prone subtropical air is slowly being pushed eastwards.” At night there is still a risk of severe weather, but the thunderstorms will subside in the first half of the night. However, heavy rain may still fall in some areas. On Saturday there will still be isolated showers in the northeast and east, and isolated thunderstorms with heavy rain in the south. The weather will calm down considerably by Sunday at the latest.
Extreme weather also in Switzerland
Extreme weather is also causing problems for people in Switzerland. The tourist town of Zermatt on the Matterhorn was cut off from the outside world on Friday due to storms. The Matterhorn-Gotthard Railway announced that it had suspended operations on the Visp-Zermatt route. There is a replacement bus service from Visp to Täsch, but the road from Täsch to Zermatt is closed. The railway company said that the town cannot therefore be reached by rail or road.
In Zermatt itself, the severe storms caused landslides and flooding. The municipality closed the schools. In Täsch, where drivers have to park if they want to go to car-free Zermatt, a campsite was cleared as a precaution.