storm
Threatening storms in Germany – European Championship fan zones closed
Heavy thunderstorms are expected in western and central Germany. Photo
© Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa
Meteorologists are once again expecting severe weather. They could also affect football fans. Those responsible for public viewing have already reacted. The DFB President welcomes the measures taken on site.
Due to the threat of serious Due to severe weather, several fan zones for the European Football Championship in North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin were closed as a precaution today.
Heavy thunderstorms could occur in a wide strip from the west through the middle to the east during the course of the day. The German Weather Service (DWD) in Offenbach issued clear warnings: “There is a risk of a severe thunderstorm across the middle of the country, lasting 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 is to be played in Dortmund and the match between Portugal and the Czech Republic is to be played 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.
“Dortmund was very excited and prepared for a big fan party with tens of thousands of Turkish and Georgian fans in the city,” said Martin Sauer, Dortmund’s representative for EURO 2024: “But the safety of the fans in our city is our priority.” The three other European Championship host cities of Cologne, Düsseldorf and Gelsenkirchen also closed their public fan and public viewing areas.
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.
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.