The German Weather Service is warning of thunderstorms, storms and hurricane-force winds in western and central Germany. Several cities in North Rhine-Westphalia are closing their football fan miles – in Leipzig they will remain open for the time being.
The west and centre of Germany could be affected by severe storms during the course of the day. According to a warning from the German Weather Service (DWD), individual strong thunderstorms will develop from late morning onwards. Storms are also expected in the east towards the evening.
Locally, strong storm or hurricane gusts and heavy rain with precipitation amounts of up to 30 litres per square metre are to be expected. According to meteorologists, isolated tornadoes cannot be ruled out in the west and in the centre.
Although the north is not affected by the thunderstorms, heavy rain must be expected in the north and northwest of Germany. According to the DWD forecast this morning, rainfall amounts of between 20 and 35 liters per square meter are possible within a few hours. The weather in parts of Germany is not expected to calm down on Wednesday either: meteorologists are expecting heavy thunderstorms in central and partly southern Germany. On Wednesday, the German national team will play against Hungary in Stuttgart.
The DWD called on people to be cautious and vigilant: “There is a risk of fallen trees and damage to buildings and vehicles,” explained meteorologist Marcel Schmid. So-called supercells could form. These are thunderstorm cells with high energy. “These are accompanied by large hailstones, with grain sizes of around five centimeters possible.”
Tens of thousands of fans expected in Dortmund
Football fans in North Rhine-Westphalia have to look for other places for public viewing or watch at home today: Due to the risk of bad weather, the Fan zones closed in several cities. The fan miles in Düsseldorf, Cologne and Gelsenkirchen as well as in Dortmund, where the match between Turkey and Georgia will take place today at 6 p.m., are affected.
Up to 80,000 Turkish fans are expected to be in Dortmund, and they wanted to gather in the appropriate areas before the game. The “meeting points” planned with the fan associations of both nations have also been cancelled, according to the city. “Dortmund was very excited about and prepared for a big fan party with tens of thousands of Turkish and Georgian fans in the city,” said Martin Sauer, the city’s representative for the European Championship. However, the safety of the fans is a priority.
Berlin closes fan zones
The capital Berlin also reacted with its fan zones at the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag. Due to the storm warning, visitors would be escorted off the site by 4 p.m., the organizer, Kulturprojekte Berlin, announced. No European Championship broadcast was planned in the fan zone at the Brandenburg Gate anyway.
Leipzig will discuss again this afternoon
In the second game of the day, Portugal and the Czech Republic will face each other at 9 p.m. in Leipzig. Tens of thousands of fans will be there to cheer on the game – the fan mile there will remain open for the time being.
This decision is the result of a consultation between the city, the police and the fire department, said a spokeswoman for the fan zone on Leipzig’s Augustusplatz. However, there will be further consultation later in the afternoon.