Weather supercells over Germany: flash floods possible – tornado danger increases

Created: 05/20/2022, 04:51

Summer is really kicking in now.

Up to 30 degrees make us sweat.

The weather situation remains explosive.

After the muggy heat, heavy thunderstorms with thunderstorms are brewing again.

Update from May 18, 5:50 p.m

.: Most people still remember the destructive storm surge after the heavy rain last summer in the Ahr valley.

Similar incidents could occur again in parts of Germany on Thursday and Friday (May 19-20).

Meteorologist Jan Schenk from

warns of heavy rainfall.

Thunderstorms are expected to break out from the Rhineland to East Frisia on Thursday around 5 p.m.

They bring hail and heavy gusts of wind up to 100 km/h close to thunderstorms.

And there will be torrential downpours.

30 liters per hour and square meter are possible.

That's enough to trigger local flash floods, as

reports.

It's supposed to crack again on Friday.

Extreme precipitation occurs in a strip from Cologne to Berlin.

It seems certain that supercells form.

This also increases the risk of tornadoes.

Heavy rain is expected to start in the west around noon.

Heavy thunderstorms are expected from 3 p.m.

According to

, in these extreme storms, up to 100 liters of rain can fall from the sky in just 2 hours.

Update from May 18, 9.43 a.m

.: Today is high summer.

It gets up to 31 degrees on the Rhine, Moselle and Saar.

The German Weather Service (DWD) expects a little cooler – maximum values ​​of 20 to 24 degrees – in the extreme north-east and south-east this Wednesday.

But the high pressure area "Yannes" is shifting from the Baltic Sea to Poland.

"In the process, very warm to hot air reaches Central Europe from the south, which is also relatively humid and unstable in the western parts of the country," reports the DWD.

Severe weather potential in Germany: Tornado danger is growing

It's still quiet.

In the next 24 hours, the DWD weather experts do not expect any "warning weather phenomena" (as of May 18, 10:12 a.m.).

According to the current forecast, isolated thunderstorms are only to be expected in Lower Saxony and Bremen, as well as in North Rhine-Westphalia (see list below).

However, meteorologists are warning of storms with the risk of

on

and

.

In the Ruhr area and in the Rhineland, a "severe thunderstorm situation with increased storm potential" threatens:

(around 3 centimetres),

(40 mm in a short time) and

of wind (up to 100 km/h).

• Lower Saxony and Bremen

  : Wednesday afternoon and evening west of the Weser and in the Harz Mountains isolated

  thunderstorms with heavy rain

  up to 25 l/sqm,

  gusts

  of wind around 75 km/h (Bft 9) and

  hail

  are unlikely.

• North Rhine-Westphalia

  : Today, individual thunderstorms are not entirely excluded, especially in the Eifel.

  Locally limited heavy rain of 15 to 25 l/sqm can occur within a short time as well as wind gusts of up to 60 km/h (Bft 7).

  On Thursday, a storm will come from the west.

also read

Red alert: Extreme thunderstorms and hurricane gusts threaten - seriously injured after lightning strikes freighter

"Virological tunnel vision": epidemiologist criticizes the German corona strategy

Update from May 18, 6.35 a.m .:

May continues to provide us with plenty of sunshine and early summer temperatures.

Wednesday will be the next sunny day, especially in the west and south there are hardly any clouds in the sky.

During the day there could be short, local thunderstorms on the North Sea, as

reports.

Otherwise it stays dry – and hot!

In the east, the thermometer climbs up to 27 degrees, in the west up to 32 degrees is expected.

But on Thursday and Friday there will be a big bang!

A low is approaching from the north, hot air from Africa with temperatures of around 30 degrees is flowing towards us from the south (see first report below).

"In connection with the low, the air mass becomes unstable," says

.

(see first report below).

First, the west of Germany will be affected by heavy showers and thunderstorms.

Caution: Locally there can be hail, severe storms and even flooded basements.

After all, the east of the country should still be spared.

On Friday it should then crack in almost all of Germany.

There could be heavy showers and thunderstorms, especially in the middle.

In the south it will only occasionally be uncomfortable, but possibly all the more violent.

At the beginning of the weekend it will remain hot, up to 34 degrees are possible.

Update from May 17, 5:58 p.m .:

You can still enjoy the summer weather almost all over the country.

Even on Tuesday evening, the temperatures are still between 18 degrees on the North Sea and up to 26 degrees in Trier.

The sun shines almost everywhere.

Only in the east there are isolated, light rain showers.

But only Wednesday and Thursday will we have the good weather.

Severe thunderstorms are expected to hit on Thursday evening.

Super cells are moving to Germany: In one region "there is a particularly violent bang" - there is even a risk of a tornado

First report from May 17, 2022:

Munich – The temperatures are on record course.

Hot air masses are flooding Germany.

Wednesday promises great summer weather with 30 degrees.

High "Yannes" prevails in the weather in Germany.

It's just a mid-week breather.

Because on Thursday and Friday there is a

.

High "Yannes" prevails and ensures calm summer weather on Wednesday.

© DWD

Severe weather alert in Germany: thunderstorm with large hail and "tornado potential"

“The thunderstorms can organize themselves better.

Individual supercells can occur and this increases the risk of severe weather," explains Lars Dahlstrom from

.

In addition to the heavy rain, there could also be violent gusts of thunderstorms, heavy gusts of wind and hurricane-force gusts in the strongest thunderstorms on Thursday.

Larger hail is also quite possible.

There is also some tornado potential in the West.

But more can not be said yet, emphasizes weather expert Dahlstrom.

It's not possible to say for sure two days beforehand.

"We're not spreading panic here," emphasizes Dahlstrom.

However, a local event of this kind cannot be ruled out.

The first thunderstorms are expected on Thursday, as does meteorologist Dominik Jung from the

weather service .

"Then it will become increasingly muggy to hot and then there will be a tremendous bang, especially in the west," predicts the weather expert.

The focus could be around North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) "with a full-fledged heavy thunderstorm situation that has it all."

would be possible here.

"Even the formation of tornadoes cannot be ruled out."

Storm situation in Germany: DWD warns of severe thunderstorms on Thursday and Friday

The German Weather Service (DWD) expects thunderstorms, some of them severe, with severe weather potential from later in the afternoon –

–

in the northwest and west.

Strong thunderstorms are also possible in the Black Forest and on the edge of the Alps.

Heavy rain, hail, squalls and a high lightning frequency.

In the night to Friday, the strong thunderstorms spread to the central parts of the country.

After a brief calming of the weather in the second half of the night, new thunderstorms with thunderstorms will appear during the course of the day on Friday.

Center of gravity over the middle of Germany.

"Again significantly increased potential for severe weather," says the current DWD forecast.

According to the DWD, there is only a “low thunderstorm potential” in the extreme north and in the south away from the mountains.

However, the exact trajectory of the thunderstorm responsible for this would still have to be awaited, can be read on the DWD website.

Weather in Germany: 30 degree mark will be cracked in the next few days

• Wednesday (May 18th): The maximum values ​​​​between 25 and 31 degrees on the Rhine and Moselle.

  Only on the sea, in Western Pomerania and south-eastern Bavaria will it stay a little cooler at 19 to 24 degrees, according to the German Weather Service (DWD) in its forecast.

• Thursday (May 19): muggy to hot – the DWD expects maximum values ​​between 26 and 32 degrees on Thursday.

  At the North Sea with onshore wind cooler with values ​​around 20 degrees.

• Friday (May 20): Highs in the north 20 to 25 degrees, in the middle 25 to 30 degrees and in the south up to 33 degrees.

According to current forecasts, it will be a little cooler in the north from the weekend.

It remains to be seen whether the summer air masses in the south can hold out longer.

"There are still uncertainties," says meteorologist Dominik Jung.

At the moment it looks like it will be quite a warm week.