Storms in Germany claim the first fatality - suspected tornado pulls the top of the church down
Created: 05/21/2022, 05:01
By: Patrick Huljina, Martina Lippl, Jennifer Lanzinger, Fabian Müller
Severe weather in Germany: The German Weather Service warns of extreme thunderstorms with heavy storm and hurricane gusts plus large hailstones on Friday.
News ticker.
Since noon, the DWD has been warning of hurricane gusts, heavy rain and hail in western Germany.
Suspected tornado in NRW: Video shows alleged tornado sighting.
All information about the severe storms in Germany here in the news ticker.
Update from May 20, 9:50 p.m .:
Numerous injuries caused the storm over NRW, now there is a first fatality.
As reported by the police, a 38-year-old man is said to have died in a house in Wittgert in the Westerwald district in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Accordingly, the man was with friends in the house.
This had a flooded basement.
The man suffered an electric shock, which caused him to fall and probably hit his head.
Storms over Germany: DWD expects thunderstorms during the night
Update vom 20. Mai, 21.15 Uhr:
In Rheinland-Pfalz und dem Saarland blieben trotz massiver Gewitter größere Schäden bis zum Abend aus. Polizei und Rettungskräfte meldeten vereinzelt umgestürzte Bäume, Hagelschäden an Autos sowie die Überflutung von Kellern. Meldungen über Verletzte gab es aber zunächst nicht.
The German Weather Service expects some severe thunderstorms in the south on Saturday night.
Otherwise the thunderstorms should move towards Poland and the weather should calm down from the west.
On Saturday there could still be isolated short thunderstorms with stormy gusts in the north-east, which will subside in the afternoon.
Severe weather over Germany: numerous injuries - several tornado reports
Update from May 20, 8:15 p.m .:
In the severe storm on Friday, 30 to 40 people were injured in the Paderborn area, at least 10 of them seriously.
"During a thunderstorm on Friday afternoon, a tornado cut a path of destruction from west to east through the middle of Paderborn in the direction of the eastern parts of the city," the police said in the early evening.
Officials reported millions in damage.
In an industrial area, the roofs of halls had been torn down.
Sheet metal, insulation and other materials were flown for kilometers.
The fire brigade also reported a suspected tornado in Lippstadt, about 35 kilometers away, which had caused serious damage.
A fire department spokesman said there were destroyed roofs and fallen trees throughout the city.
Windows shattered and cars were destroyed by falling branches.
The Altenbeken municipality near Paderborn reported that some of the trees had already snapped at the trunk - as if hit by a giant's hand.
The German weather service DWD had temporarily issued the highest storm warning level 4 for the region - "extreme thunderstorms" with hailstorms, heavy rain or extreme hurricane gusts.
A DWD spokesman said that several reports of tornadoes had been received - not only from Lippstadt, but also from Lüdenscheid and Meschede.
However, these reports still need to be verified.
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Storm over NRW: around 40, some seriously injured, path of devastation
Update from May 20, 7.40 p.m .:
A suspected tornado caused massive damage in Lippstadt in NRW on Friday afternoon around 5 p.m.
The entire city area was affected, said a fire department spokesman.
Numerous roofs were covered and trees fell on cars.
However, according to previous reports, there were neither deaths nor injuries.
At times, around 120 bathers were trapped in the Cabrioli leisure pool in Lippstadt because fallen trees blocked the entrance.
The trapped people were later freed, the fire brigade reported.
In the district of Hellinghausen, the top of a church fell down due to the storm.
Around 200 to 300 firefighters are deployed.
The Lippstadt fire brigade is supported by forces from several neighboring towns.
The task force in the Soester rescue center is pulling together forces from the region in Lippstadt, it said in a statement.
The first thing to do is to get an overview of the damage.
As the media consistently report, citing the Paderborn police, there are said to be 30 to 40 injured, 10 of them seriously.
A roof batten is stuck in the windshield of a parked car.
A storm also caused major damage in Paderborn.
© Lino Mirgeler/dpa
Storm over NRW - several injured in Paderborn
Update from May 20, 6:45 p.m .:
The storm also caused major damage in Paderborn on Friday.
According to the first findings, there were several injuries, said a fire department spokesman in the early evening.
He reported covered roofs and uprooted trees.
A dpa reporter reported that trees had fallen on cars.
"It's chaos here right now," said a police spokeswoman.
A suspected tornado also caused massive damage in Lippstadt, about 35 kilometers away, in the afternoon.
Highest storm warning level: video shows suspected tornado in NRW - severe damage in the city area
Update from May 20, 5:55 p.m .:
The first alleged tornado sighting is doing the rounds on Twitter.
A user documented a supposedly violent hurricane that passed a few houses away.
The authenticity of the video cannot be verified at this time.
According to the user, he is located in Lippstadt, North Rhine-Westphalia.
A fire brigade spokesman said there was serious damage throughout the city.
Numerous roofs were covered and trees fell on cars.
He was not aware of any deaths, the spokesman said.
According to the weather map of the DWD, the most severe storms are currently moving across large parts of central Germany.
The highest severe weather warning level continues to apply in several regions.
The meteorologists speak of heavy thunderstorms, extremely heavy rain, hail and hurricane gusts.
Severe weather in Germany: "Short but heavy rain band over the city"
Update from May 20, 4:48 p.m .:
In Düsseldorf, a “short but productive band of rain fell over the city”.
This was reported by the responsible fire brigade.
One had been called to a large number of "damage sites" and is now trying to provide help everywhere.
The DWD has updated its warning map.
In the meantime, the highest storm warning level 4 applies in the south of North Rhine-Westphalia and in the north-east of Rhineland-Palatinate. The districts of Euskirchen, Ahrweiler, Neuwied, Mayen-Koblenz, Vulkaneifel and the Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm are affected.
"Close all windows and doors!
Secure items outdoors!
In particular, keep your distance from trees, scaffolding and high-voltage lines!
If possible, avoid spending time outdoors!” warns the DWD for this area.
Severe weather in Germany: slight flooding in NRW possible
Update from May 20, 4 p.m.:
According to the assessment of the responsible State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection (LANUV), there could be slight flooding in North Rhine-Westphalia on Friday.
"According to current calculations, it is likely that flood information values will be exceeded in the Erft catchment area, but other catchment areas may also be affected, including in the northwest half of NRW," the office said on Twitter.
According to LANUV, an exact prediction of the affected areas is currently not possible.
Since the heavy rain is expected to be locally limited, the water levels could rise quickly and significantly, especially in smaller streams.
Severe weather in Germany: First official warning for NRW
Update from May 20, 2:52 p.m .:
The DWD issued a first official severe weather warning for parts of North Rhine-Westphalia in the afternoon.
Among others for Düsseldorf and Cologne.
There could be heavy rain and gusty winds.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, numerous events were canceled as a precaution due to the weather.
In Cologne, among other things, the zoo and the forest botanical garden were closed.
The city warned that trees could fall or branches break off.
In Dortmund, the zoo was closed all Friday.
Two paragliders died in a crash in Saxony-Anhalt on Thursday.
They were probably caught in a gust of wind.
Storm in Germany: NRW Minister of the Interior warns – "Please stay at home"
Update from May 20, 12:05 p.m .:
North Rhine-Westphalia’s Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) has addressed the storm warnings to the population.
"Please stay at home.
Avoid spending time outdoors.
In particular, keep your distance from buildings, trees, scaffolding and high-voltage lines!
Don't go into the basement or lower floors," he told the German Press Agency.
Reul called on people to be particularly careful.
The population should take the “warnings of the German Weather Service very seriously”.
The NRW interior minister called for information on warning apps such as "Nina" and "DWD Warnwetter".
In addition, citizens should pay attention to siren alarms and radio and loudspeaker announcements.
Severe weather in Germany: DWD warns of "locally very violent thunderstorms" from noon - tornadoes possible
Update from May 20, 11:20 a.m .:
A storm front is moving across Germany today.
From the midday hours, "locally very violent thunderstorms" will spread from the west to NRW and Rhineland-Palatinate, writes the DWD on its website and Twitter.
The risk of storms is increased.
According to the German Weather Service, “locally extremely heavy heavy rain of around 40 liters per square meter in a short time, large hail of up to 5 centimeters and heavy gusts of wind to hurricanes with speeds between 100 and 130 kilometers per hour” are expected.
Isolated tornadoes are "not excluded".
In some regions, school is canceled due to the warnings.
In the administrative district of Cologne, for example, classes end at 11:30 a.m.
This ensures that the students come home safely, said a spokesman for the district government.
In the afternoon the thunderstorms will move further east.
In the evening there can also be some strong thunderstorms in the south of the country with the potential for severe weather, mainly due to heavy rain and hail.
Update from May 20, 7:31 a.m
.: The first thunderstorms are already on the way on Friday morning.
According to the DWD, there are strong thunderstorms from the Rhine-Main area to the Vogelsberg district and also on the Hunsrück.
The weather experts are also providing the first severe weather timetable for Germany: “Thunderstorms with high potential for severe weather from the west from the midday hours, moving eastwards across the middle of the country in the afternoon,” writes the DWD on Twitter.
Severe weather in Germany: Deutsche Bahn prepares travelers for train cancellations and delays
Update from May 20, 7.15 a.m
.: Deutsche Bahn prepares train travelers in advance for delays and train cancellations due to the “Emmelinde” storm.
Those who book a ticket can flexibly postpone their trip within the next seven days.
Seat reservations can be exchanged free of charge.
DWD warns of severe storms on Friday
Update from May 20, 6:08 a.m
.: The storm situation increases significantly on Friday.
From France, a thunderstorm will move from the west across northern Germany over the course of the day.
The German Weather Service (DWD) warns of a severe thunderstorm situation, especially in a strip from
NRW
and northern
Rhineland-Palatinate
to
Brandenburg
and
Saxony
.
The thunderstorms are accompanied by heavy gusts of wind or hurricanes between 90 and 130 km/h (Bft 10-12) as well as heavy rain of around 40 l/m² in one hour and hail with a grain size of around 5 cm.
Extremely heavy rain of around 60 l/m² is also likely in a few hours.
Individual
tornadoes
are not excluded either.
In the flood area of Ahrweiler (Rhineland-Palatinate), most schools remained closed due to the storm warning.
The district also recommends looking after daycare children at home on Fridays.
Heavy
storm or hurricane gusts
between 90 and 130 km/h (Bft 10-12)
Heavy
heavy rain up to 40 liters
per square meter in one hour
Hailstones
r with a size around
5 centimeters
Tornadoes
are not excluded
Lightning and thunder!
The storm situation goes into the next round.
The DWD warns of a severe thunderstorm on Friday.
© Armin Weigel/dpa
Severe weather in Germany: Thunderstorm front moves over Germany
Update from May 19, 10:42 p.m .:
The worst thunderstorms for today have moved across Germany, only for the east of Bavaria, north and east of Landshut is the German Weather Service currently still issuing a storm warning level 3.
Severe weather warning level 2 applies to large parts of Franconia. Another day that is at least as stormy is expected on Friday, we will keep you up to date here.
Kreiszeitung.de reports on the storms in the north.
Update from May 19, 9:08 p.m .:
No people were injured and major damage was caused by the announced storms in Hesse by Thursday evening.
Police headquarters in Fulda, Darmstadt and Offenbach reported some fallen trees and covered bricks.
In Frankfurt, Kassel, Giessen and Wiesbaden, the respective praesidia did not report any special events in connection with the weather situation.
Weather in Germany: Grid front moves east
Update from May 19, 8:52 p.m .:
The first thunderstorm cells of severe weather warning level 3 are now moving over Baden-Württemberg.
The region east of Stuttgart and Heilbronn is particularly affected.
North of Berlin and on the Baltic Sea, warning level two now applies, where the DWD also warns of gusts of wind.
Update from May 19, 8:10 p.m .:
According to the DWD, the storm front has now moved further east.
Third-level severe weather warnings are now mainly for the northern Bavarian area from Aschaffenburg via Würzburg to Coburg.
The DWD warns of severe thunderstorms with hurricane gusts, heavy rain and hail.
Red alert: Extreme thunderstorms and supercells threaten - seriously injured after lightning strikes freighter
Update from May 19, 7:01 p.m .:
The Europa League winner’s big party is about to start in Frankfurt.
The German Weather Service is now warning Eintracht fans: "Thunderstorms with heavy rain, gusty winds and hail are coming up," writes the DWD on Twitter.
In the convertible car parade, as actually announced, the players are likely to have less fun.
Update from May 19, 5:57 p.m .:
A person was seriously injured in a lightning strike on a cargo ship in Duisburg.
A fire department spokesman said it was probably an employee on the ship.
He was on the freighter in NRW during the severe storm on Thursday afternoon.
The lightning struck the deck and seriously injured the man, the spokesman said.
The Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung
had previously
reported on the lightning strike.
Severe thunderstorms are brewing in the west.
The DWD warns of severe weather (archive image/montage).
© Matthias Balk/dpa/DWD graphics
Update from May 19, 5:40 p.m .:
The German Weather Service has updated its severe weather warnings.
A thunderstorm front is currently running in a broad band from the north from Bremen via Hanover to the south of Hesse and the region around the capital of Mainz in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
The DWD has issued a level 3 severe weather warning.
The storm front should soon reach the city of Frankfurt am Main.
Explosive weather conditions in Germany: Thunderstorms and supercells paralyze parts of the train service
Update from May 19, 4:50 p.m
.: Because of the storm in the Netherlands, no train traffic to and from Germany from the Netherlands is possible.
Deutsche Bahn reports this via Twitter.
Update from May 19, 4:45 p.m
.: The DWD reports thunderstorm gusts of 105 km/h – this corresponds to a wind force of Bft.
11. The values were measured in the last hour at the Münster/Osnabrück stations.
Update from May 19, 4:20 p.m
.: Attention storms!
In Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg, the DWD warns of severe thunderstorms with large hailstones, heavy rain and hurricane gusts.
A thunderstorm line is currently moving from west to east over Germany.
Explosive weather conditions: Extreme thunderstorms and super cells threaten - red alert in the first regions
Update from May 19, 2:25 p.m
.: Severe weather warning – red alert!
The German Weather Service (DWD) is now warning of severe thunderstorms with hurricane gusts, heavy rain and hail.
The thunderstorms reach the west and north-west of Germany.
The DWD severe weather map around the Aachen area (NRW) is marked in red.
There are dangerous thunderstorms with hurricane-like gusts (up to 110 km/h) as well as heavy rain of up to 40 liters per square meter in a short time and thick hailstones (up to two centimetres).
The warning is currently in effect until 3:45 p.m.
Update from May 19, 1:30 p.m
.: In the coming hours, the German Weather Service (DWD) warns of strong thunderstorms and heavy rain coming from the west.
The Cologne fire brigade warns via Twitter “What to watch out for during a thunderstorm?” First tip from the fire brigade: “Get off your bike, get out of the water and seek shelter in solid buildings!” Trees of all kinds should also be avoided, such as poles and metal fences.
If you are outdoors, you should put down your umbrella during a thunderstorm, do not stand still and ideally squat down.
Severe weather in Germany - First thunderstorms are coming from the west
Update from May 19, 12:12 p.m
.: The first thunderstorms are coming from the southwest.
Alert level "Orange" - the German Weather Service (DWD) has issued an official warning of severe thunderstorms for the Aachen (NRW) area down to Saarbrücken.
Heavy rain with amounts of precipitation of around 15 liters per square meter and wind gusts with speeds of up to 60 km/h can already occur here.
Severe weather timetable for Germany: From 2 p.m., the “red” alarm level applies in the west
The DWD expects severe thunderstorms from Wednesday afternoon.
From 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., the current alarm level is “red” in western Germany.
There is a risk of heavy rain between 25 and 40 liters per square meter in a short time.
In addition, gusts of wind or severe gusts of wind between 80 and 100 km/h, locally also hurricane gusts of around 120 km/h can occur.
Larger hail over 2 centimeters is also likely locally.
North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate are the first to be hit in a broad strip.
Explosive weather conditions: Extreme thunderstorms and supercells threaten
First report from May 19, 2022
Munich/Offenbach
– It cracked during the night over the Netherlands.
The first severe thunderstorms will appear in the west and north-west during the course of the day.
The German Weather Service (DWD) warns of heavy thunderstorms with
heavy rain
(up to 40 liters per square meter in a short time),
hail
(up to three centimeters) and sometimes heavy gusts of wind or
hurricane-force gusts
(around 120 km/h).
Severe weather alert in Germany: thunderstorm with large hail and "tornado potential"
In the early afternoon (from 2 p.m.), the DWD weather experts expect the first severe thunderstorms in the west.
A preliminary information "on a weather situation with high storm potential" is out.
The DWD expressly points out that thunderstorms, with the side effects mentioned, typically occur very locally and would usually only hit a few places at full intensity.
After a brief calming of the weather, severe storms threaten again on Friday.
In the evening, heavy thunderstorms can also be expected in central Germany.
The DWD does not rule out tornadoes on Friday either.
Extreme storm conditions threaten on Friday
„Vor allem am Freitag droht eine extreme Unwetterlage. Die Wettermodelle tischen uns da gerade Karten auf, die selbst wir als erfahrene Meteorologen wirklich selten zu Gesicht bekommen“, gesteht Meteorologe Lars Dahlstrom in einem Video vom wetterkanal.kachelmannwetter.com. Ein Gewittertief von Belgien nähert sich und zieht mit seinem Zentrum von West nach Ost über Deutschland hinweg. Dabei könnten sich Gewittercluster mit heftigem Starkregen, Orkanböen und Großhagel entwickeln. Auch die Tornado-Gefahr sei erhöht.
In the humid to hot air mass, the thunderstorm potential increases significantly, emphasizes meteorologist Dominik Jung from
wetter.net
.
"On Friday, super cells could form just above and around North Rhine-Westphalia," said the weather expert.
Supercells are a combination of several thunderstorm cells into one large one.
This could then lead to hurricane gusts, violent flash floods and large hail.
„Das könnte sich ähnlich entwickeln wie das verheerende Pfingstunwetter im Jahr 2014 in Nordrhein-Westfalen“, fürchtet Meteorologe Jung. Einige Details würden darauf hindeuteten, doch abschließen lasse sich das noch nicht sagen. Auch rund um das Ahrtal in Rheinland-Pfalz gibt es seiner Ansicht nach ein erhöhtes Potenzial für Superzellen. Sturzregen könnte zu Überschwemmungen führen, warnt Jung. Allerdings sei die Wetterlage nicht mit der aus dem Juli 2021, die zur Flutkatastrophe führte, vergleichbar. Damals habe es sich um ein riesiges Starkregenband gehandelt, das schon vier Tage zuvor abschätzbar gewesen wäre. „Bei dieser Lage handelt es sich um eine klassische Gewitterlage, die lokale Unwetter bringen kann, also kein flächiges Ereignis sein wird, wie die Flutkatastrophe im Juni vergangenen Jahres“, betont Wetterexperte Jung.
Weather in Germany: DWD warns of severe storms on Thursday and Friday
Severe storms in Germany: Thunderstorms on Thursday and Friday
Severe weather conditions on Thursday
: west and north approaching thunderstorms.
Severe weather conditions on Friday
: Larger thunderstorm clusters can form in western Germany, Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia.
Extreme storms threaten here, especially in terms of wind speeds.
We will keep you up to date on the storm situation on Thursday and Friday in our news ticker.
(ml)