Weather
More storms and heavy rain expected
So far, people in Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate have mainly fought against floods – now the consequences of the storm could also affect other regions. photo
© Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa
Storms have been hitting Germany since Friday. It initially hit people in the southwest, but now other regions also have to expect thunderstorms and heavy rain.
On the Whitsun weekend, people in Saarland and the southwest of Rhineland-Palatinate in particular fought against floods. Enormous amounts of rain caused flooding, landslides and flooded streets and cellars. In Saarland, a 67-year-old woman died after being hit by an emergency vehicle. Otherwise, according to current knowledge, no one was seriously injured. According to Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger (SPD), the emergency services in Saarland had to be deployed around 4,000 times.
From the Eifel via Central Hesse to Bavaria
From today onwards, the consequences of the storm could also affect other regions of Germany. “This time the focus is probably not in Saarland and southern Rhineland-Palatinate, but a little further north, in the area from the Eifel through central Hesse to southeast Bavaria,” said meteorologist Nico Bauer from the German Weather Service. There will be slightly lower amounts of precipitation in the previously flooded areas.
From the early afternoon, some severe thunderstorms are expected in a strip from southeast and eastern Bavaria via Hesse to northern Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, as the DWD announced in the morning. Heavy rain with up to 25 liters per square meter can occur, and heavy rain with 25 to 40 liters per square meter is also possible locally. Hail and squalls are also to be expected. According to the DWD, heavy rain and thunderstorms are likely to move to northeastern Germany during the night.
Damage in the millions
While the current crisis is not yet over, the process of coming to terms with it is already beginning, both among those affected and in politics. According to an initial assessment, the flood caused damage “well into the millions,” Rehlinger told the dpa. The exact extent will only be fully understood once the water has completely receded.
“It is already clear today that we will be dealing with massive damage to private property, but also to infrastructure such as roads, bridges and daycare centers,” she said. “We have been fighting against masses of water for a few days, but we will certainly have to struggle with the consequences for years.”
According to DWD meteorologist Bauer, heavy rain events like this are becoming more common due to climate change. “They are becoming more frequent and more intense, simply because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture and therefore rainfall is more intense.”