It’s a thunderstorm summer in Germany. One low chases the next. In many places it can be quite uncomfortable in the coming days.
Offenbach – It flashes, thunders and rains: the summer of 2021 is a thunderstorm summer. The meteorologist Markus Übel from the German Weather Service (DWD) in Offenbach compares the weather situation with a saucepan: “There is a lot of energy and moisture in the air. It starts to boil, at some point the bubbles burst. “
They have been doing this – weather-wise – since about mid-June. Warm air masses above the ground would be pushed up on a broad front, where they would cool down. The resulting clouds grow into thunderstorm complexes, which in many places discharge with heavy rain, as the meteorologist explains.
It remains volatile
Little will change in this regard in the coming days. It remains volatile. While it is getting hot northeast of the Elbe with temperatures around 30 degrees, the next storms are brewing over Baden-Württemberg. There is a threat of thunderstorms and heavy rain. According to the DWD forecast, the storms will move northwards from around Tuesday.
Markus Übel explains that this year’s summer is perceived as a thunderstorm summer with the distribution of lightning and thunder. “Otherwise, thunderstorms tend to drop selectively. That is why many people do not notice when there is a crash in the neighboring town. ”This time it is different: Heavy rainfall as well as thunderstorms and changeable weather are part of a summer. Compared to the two previous very dry years, “the precipitation seems like a lot,” he admits. So far it has rained above average. But evil does not want to speak of a record. “There is still room for improvement.”
Heavy rain, floods, power failure in the south
In southern Germany in particular, there were numerous weather-related emergencies and operations by the police and fire brigade on Friday.
The Franconian district of Neustadt an der Aisch-Bad Windsheim was badly affected: the disaster was declared there. The district office announced that teaching in the schools had been discontinued. And: Even in the coming days, it should remain wet and uncomfortable in many places. The German Weather Service (DWD) announced changeable weather.
Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria particularly affected
On Friday, the storms with heavy rain also swelled the rivers in Baden-Württemberg. In the east of the country in particular, streets and cellars were flooded. Roads were closed in the Ravensburg district on Lake Constance, aquaplaning led to accidents, and cars got stuck in the water. Slopes slipped in several places.
The flood forecast center (HVZ) Baden-Württemberg reported floods at Riß, Rems, Kocher and Jagst, among others. At the Riß gauge in Niederkirch south of Ulm, a water level of 2.77 meters was measured on Friday afternoon, where one meter is normal. In the past few weeks, such a rare event had happened there for the third time due to heavy rain, said an HVZ expert.
Flood warnings in northern Bavaria
Flood warnings have been issued for several areas in northern Bavaria. In Wilhermsdorf (Fürth district), many people were without electricity. There was a complete power outage in the center, said district fire chief Frank Bauer. But he reckons that the damage can be repaired that evening.
The disaster was declared not only in the Neustadt an der Aisch-Bad Windsheim district but also in the city of Ansbach. In some cases, entire villages in the district were cut off from the outside world, said Matthias Hirsch, spokesman for the Neustadt an der Aisch-Bad Windsheim district. But nobody was injured – the control centers of the other affected areas in Franconia also reported this on Friday. The rains subsided in the evening.
All-time level high within a few hours
According to the Bavarian flood news service, the water levels in the area rose rapidly. The Zenn rose at Stöckach within a few hours by around 2.50 meters to an all-time high. Sulzach and Altmühl also recorded some meter-high climbs. Above all in Central Franconia, but also in other regions, exceedances up to reporting level 4 were reported, in which built-up areas are flooded to a large extent or the use of water or dams is required on a large scale. In Lower Franconia, the A3 was blocked between Wiesentheid and Schwarzach, according to the Kitzingen district.
There was a wet record in western Germany: never before have the Ruhrverband dams been so full on July 9th as they were on Friday. This was announced by the water management association in Essen. The filling level of the eight dams was 113 percent of the long-term average. On average, the dams were almost 96 percent full.
Wet prospects
“One low pushes the latch into the hand of the next low,” said a DWD meteorologist with a view to the coming days. On Saturday, a short intermediate high ensures that the weather calms down with some sun, before the next thunderstorm zone approaches from the west in the afternoon. From the Emsland to the Black Forest and on the edge of the Alps there is a threat of strong thunderstorms, hail, heavy rain and squalls. In the northeast half the temperatures are 20 to 25 degrees, in the southeast half they rise to 28 degrees. It stays dry there longer.
On Sunday it should rain from the Emsland to the Ore Mountains from time to time. Local thunderstorms are also possible, according to the DWD. While there is also a risk of individual showers in the northeast, there are longer sunny sections in the south and west and it usually remains dry. The temperatures rise up to 29 degrees. In the west and northwest it is a little cooler with up to 24 degrees.
The start of the week will then be uncomfortable again. A low over Western Europe brings warm, humid air to Germany in bursts. There is a threat of more heavy rain, showers and thunderstorms. dpa
