Crowded basements, flooded roads and accidents caused by aquaplaning: the fire brigade and police are in action again in some parts of Germany due to heavy rain. At least for some regions, a relaxation of the weather situation is in sight.
Bielefeld / Bayreuth (dpa) - Severe weather with heavy rain has once again caused numerous fire and police operations in parts of North Rhine-Westphalia and northern Bavaria.
In East Westphalia, there were 30 aquaplaning accidents on the highways by Sunday evening, as the Bielefeld motorway police announced for their district. A total of 13 people were injured. In Münster in Westphalia and in Bayreuth in Upper Franconia, the fire brigades had to deploy to pump full basements empty.
In the Amelsbüren district of Münster, rescue workers were deployed to pump rainwater from the basement of a hospital. In total, the volunteer fire departments in the city had to deal with around 30 emergencies. In Bayreuth, the police and fire brigade were challenged due to flooded roads, fallen trees and accidents. Around 75 missions due to heavy rain were registered there.
There were accidents due to aquaplaning on several highways. "Many drivers were simply too fast in the heavy rain," said the Bielefeld Autobahn police. Accordingly, Autobahn 2 between the Oelde and Bad-Eilsen junctions was particularly affected on Sunday evening. In Thuringia, the police registered 18 accidents on the motorways on wet roads on Sunday, according to a message on Monday. In two accidents on the A4 near Gotha and on the A38 near Burgwalde, one person died.
On Monday the danger of heavy rain is not yet averted. In a strip from Ems- and Münsterland to southern and eastern Bavaria there can be heavy rain and short, thunderstorms locally, as the German Weather Service (DWD) said. In contrast, it gets more summery in the north and northeast. According to the meteorologists, there is a lot of sun and temperatures of up to 27 degrees. Some gaps in the cloud can also open up in the southwest. Overall, the temperatures in the south only reach between 17 and 20 degrees.