Despite fallen trees and disruptions to air and rail traffic, the storm in North Rhine-Westphalia was less severe than predicted. The German Weather Service (DWD) had warned of severe weather developments with heavy rain, heavy gusts of wind and hail. Hurricane-like gusts or even tornadoes were also possible.
The thunderstorm front reached the western federal state in the afternoon via the southwest near Aachen and then moved across the Rhineland, the Münsterland and the Ruhr area. In many places the sky suddenly darkened. There were local heavy rains, thunder and lightning. Later, the thunderstorm front continued across South Westphalia in the direction of East Westphalia-Lippe.
One person was seriously injured in a lightning strike on a cargo ship in Duisburg. A fire department spokesman said it was probably an employee on the ship. He was on the freighter during the severe storm. The lightning struck the deck and seriously injured the man, the spokesman said.
Several trees fall on train routes
For security reasons, Düsseldorf Airport stopped operating for about 30 minutes in the afternoon. An airport spokesman said no machines could have landed or taken off during that time. In addition, the aircraft were not loaded and unloaded during this time.
Half a dozen fallen trees were reported on the Lower Rhine and in Münsterland, and railway lines were blocked. A tree fell on the north-south main line between Düsseldorf and Leverkusen. A part of the route should be released there quickly, said a railway spokesman. The disruption of the S-Bahn line 6 between Düsseldorf and Cologne could take longer.
Heavy rain falls in Krefeld and also affects road traffic.
(Photo: Alexander Forstreuter/dpa)
“The colleagues are trying to get the routes free again as soon as possible. Impairments in rush-hour traffic must still be expected,” said a railway spokesman. A tree also fell between Haltern and Dülmen. Two regional express lines were affected. According to zuginfo.nrw several regional trains in Münsterland, Duisburg and Dortmund were also affected. Storm damage also occurred in the Eifel. As reported by Deutsche Bahn, rail traffic to Germany in the neighboring Netherlands had to be temporarily suspended due to the thunderstorm.