Two hurricane lows in Germany are already causing DWD warnings on Wednesday, and a storm surge must also be expected on Thursday night. Schools are also affected in many places.
- The German Weather Service warns of storm and hurricane gusts.
- Due to the weather conditions, school in North Rhine-Westphalia is canceled on Thursday; Saarland makes school attendance free. (see first report)
- Bremen also decides to close the schools on Thursday. (see update of February 16, 5:16 p.m.)
- This news ticker on schools related to the hurricane is regularly updated.
Update from February 16, 5:16 p.m .: Face -to-face classes on Thursday (February 17) are also canceled in Bremen due to the storm warnings. Instead, the Bremen education authority announced that it would switch to distance teaching/digital teaching. Supervision should be guaranteed in every school. NRW had previously announced the school closure for Thursday (see first report).
In Lower Saxony, the decision on a possible school cancellation due to the extreme weather conditions lies with the districts. In Saarland, school attendance will be exempt for the next two days (see first notification).
First report from February 16, 4:10 p.m .: Düsseldorf – Two hurricane lows in quick succession cause severe weather warnings in many parts of Germany. There is a risk of a storm surge on the North Sea, and in NRW classes will be canceled at all schools this Thursday due to a feared storm with violent gusts of wind. School Minister Yvonne Gebauer surprisingly said this in the Düsseldorf state parliament on Wednesday. The decision was made after consultation with the German Weather Service. A second federal state is also reacting, in Saarland school attendance is to be exempted.
Hurricane over Germany: lessons at schools in NRW are cancelled
As Minister of Education Yvonne Gebauer explained on Wednesday, she did not want students to visit schools “in the eye of the storm”. Family Minister Joachim Stamp asked parents of daycare children that they should “please look after their offspring at home tomorrow.” The schools would be informed, the minister said. The district governments also acted accordingly at short notice. The DWD has announced heavy gusts of wind, hurricanes at high altitudes and wind speeds of 10 to 12. The legal basis of the order is a decree that also applies to extreme weather events.
Hurricane over Germany: Saarland also reacts to storm warnings
And Saarland is also reacting to the storm warnings for Germany. The Ministry of Education is exempting school attendance in Saarland for the next two days. “In extreme weather conditions, the legal guardians decide in the morning whether the way to school is reasonable for their children,” said the ministry on Wednesday in Saarbrücken. Adult students decide for themselves. Those who stay away from class must notify the school, it said.
The schools could also “decide independently whether it is necessary to avert danger by not allowing the lessons to take place due to the weather”. In these cases, however, emergency care must be offered if possible. Winter holidays in Saarland are from February 21st to March 1st.
