Flooded streets, nursing home evacuated Storms over Germany cause "absolute chaos" in places
In Bavaria, thunderstorms hit the town of Weissenburg.
Image: dpa
Heavy rain causes flooding in Aurich in East Frisia.
Image: dpa
After a heavy thunderstorm, a car in Bruchsal in Baden-Württemberg is up to its hood in water.
Image: dpa
After the heat, thunderstorms sweep across Germany.
Image: dpa
East Frisia is also hit by storms.
Image: dpa
A Eurocity train collides with a fallen tree.
Image: dpa
In Bavaria, thunderstorms hit the town of Weissenburg.
Image: dpa
Heavy rain causes flooding in Aurich in East Frisia.
Image: dpa
After a heavy thunderstorm, a car in Bruchsal in Baden-Württemberg is up to its hood in water.
Image: dpa
After the heat, thunderstorms sweep across Germany.
Image: dpa
East Frisia is also hit by storms.
Image: dpa
A Eurocity train collides with a fallen tree.
Image: dpa
After the heat, now the heavy rain: Flooded cellars and streets in many places - and even a flooded old town in Baden-Württemberg.
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- After the heat, thunderstorms have swept across parts of Germany.
- Initially, it mainly affected regions in the south and west, but later also the north of the country.
- A Eurocity train broke down in Bavaria, cars were washed away in Baden-Württemberg and a nursing home was evacuated in East Frisia.
Severe storms with heavy rain and hail demanded a lot from emergency services in various parts of Germany in the evening and during the night. North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Bavaria - and Baden-Württemberg, where a river overflowed its banks in Bruchsal and flooded the old town of the Heidelsheim district - were particularly affected. At times, the water was up to 1.50 meters high, according to the local fire department. According to the flood control center, the Saalbach river reached its highest level at the Bruchsal gauge at around 2:30 a.m. with a good 2.13 meters and just exceeded the mark for a so-called 100-year flood of 2.10 meters.
Emergency services in other federal states also reported flooded cellars and streets. Initially, there were no reports of serious injuries or deaths. The storms were preceded by a heatwave that peaked on Tuesday in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler in Rhineland-Palatinate with temperatures of up to 36.5 degrees - according to preliminary data from the German Weather Service, it was the hottest day of the year so far.
Water in underpasses and on roads
In Baden-Württemberg, the district of Karlsruhe in particular was affected by severe storms. There was "absolute chaos" and cars were being washed away by masses of water, said a fire department spokesman in the evening about the situation in Gondelsheim, around 15 kilometers west of Karlsruhe. The state's flood control center warned on Tuesday evening that heavy rainfall, in some places extremely heavy, could cause water levels to rise sharply in some streams and small rivers, not only during the night but also over the course of Wednesday.
In Bruchsal, due to the flood situation in the Heidelsheim district, the population was asked by warning app to evacuate basements and first floors in certain areas and to seek higher floors. According to the fire department, two members of the public were injured - it was initially unclear how seriously. Flooding also occurred in the town of Bruchsal, for example in underpasses. However, the water levels had dropped again in both places.
The Karlsruhe police asked people to refrain from non-urgent journeys in view of the storm situation. Shortly before midnight, the district's fire department association announced that the firefighters had so far dealt with more than 500 incidents.
Fallen tree prevents Eurocity from continuing its journey
In Bavaria, a Eurocity near Bad Endorf collided with a tree that had fallen onto the track and came to a halt. Around 260 people were on the train, who were taken to Prien in minibuses, according to Deutsche Bahn. According to the federal police, there were no injuries. The overhead line was damaged and had to be repaired, the railroad announced. The closed section of track between Bad Endorf and Prien near Lake Chiemsee is expected to be reopened in the morning hours. Long-distance trains turned around or ended their journeys prematurely.
There were also disruptions to rail traffic in the Ammerland district of Lower Saxony: due to the storm, a tree fell onto an overhead line, which brought train traffic to a complete standstill at Augustfehn station in Apen late on Tuesday evening, according to the fire department. A passenger train that was on the line was stopped.
Around 25 residents have to leave care home
Heavy rainfall also led to hundreds of firefighting operations in East Frisia. The town of Aurich was particularly affected, according to a spokesperson from the operations center in Wittmund. Around 25 residents had to be evacuated from a nursing home to a sports hall in the evening. Ceiling tiles had come loose in the home. In a hospital in Aurich, the fire department and technical relief organization worked to prevent an evacuation.
Flooded cellars in Duisburg too
The storms also had consequences in North Rhine-Westphalia. "All available emergency services are in action", said a spokesperson for the Duisburg fire department on Tuesday evening. Almost the entire city was affected. There was a clear focus on problems with water - flooding in cellars and underpasses. The police also reported several flooded areas on the Autobahn 59 and Autobahn 42 near Duisburg and warned of aquaplaning.
dpa