Heavy rainfalls and thunderstorms cause chaos in Germany, Der Spiegel reports. After the German Weather Service lifted all storm warnings, thunderstorms, heavy rain, and hail left severe damage in the west and central regions of Germany.
In some areas of Germany, thunderstorms and heavy rain caused floods and traffic disruptions. Bisingen, southwest of Tübingen, was particularly affected, with cellars and streets flooded in the evening. Rescue teams were on continuous duty, but no injuries have been reported so far. The situation has since calmed down, but cleanup operations need to be conducted.
Other states like Hesse also experienced heavy rain showers accompanied by lightning and thunder. In Frankfurt, water seeped into a hospital from the sewerage system but was quickly contained. There were flight delays at Frankfurt Airport.
In Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, there were intense hailstorms and heavy rain leading to floods and property damage. In the Ahrweiler district, which was already affected by a flood disaster in 2021, cellars were flooded again, but fortunately, there were no injuries.
North Rhine-Westphalia was also affected by severe thunderstorms, but the consequences remained limited for the time being. The Cologne fire department reported no extraordinary incidents.
In Bavaria, heavy rain and thunderstorms led to over 200 firefighting operations, mainly due to flooded cellars. Cleanup efforts were intense, but no major damages were reported.
The weather outlook for Friday is somewhat calmer, although local thunderstorms are still possible. It is expected that the situation will significantly improve compared to the previous day, but some regions may still experience rainfall.
