A storm swept across Germany in the evening, causing property damage in some regions. A pedestrian is injured in Bottrop when a tree falls on her. Rail traffic is also affected.
Offenbach - After a weekend that was sunny in many places, people have to prepare for stormy weather in the evening. The German Weather Service predicted increased squalls for the afternoon and evening, and isolated severe squalls, as it announced in Offenbach. In addition, there could be isolated short thunderstorms with sleet and squalls, especially in the west and northwest, but later also in the center and east.
“This afternoon, the cold front of a low moving from Scotland to southern Denmark is reaching Germany from the west and ushering in a period of unsettled and cool weather,” the weather service said on Monday. After the cold front leaves, the wind should decrease quickly and significantly.
Follow the train
Because of the storm, long-distance train traffic in central Germany is affected. “Individual routes are closed and there are diversions with delays,” said Deutsche Bahn. A dpa reporter reported that there were no longer any trains at Frankfurt Central Station. According to Deutsche Bahn, there is storm damage in the Würzburg main station area.
Hesse, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia are affected by the impairments. The ICE trains between Hanau and Gießen would be rerouted, as would the ICE between Göttingen and Kassel, the railway said.
ICE trains between Koblenz and Bonn are being diverted and will be delayed by around 15 minutes. The Bonn, Remagen and Andernach stops are no longer available. Replacement stop in Bonn-Beuel.
ICE trains between Hamm and Münster are being diverted and will be delayed by around 15 minutes. The Hamm (W) stop is no longer necessary.
Damage to power lines
In some places, cars and power and telephone lines were also damaged. In some cases, trees also fell or roofs were damaged.
In Bottrop, a 19-year-old was injured by a falling tree on her way home from work. The fire department said he suddenly fell onto the sidewalk and buried the passer-by underneath him. When the fire and rescue services arrived, it was discovered that the young woman's legs were trapped under the tree trunk. This was divided using a motor chainsaw. Since serious injuries to the 19-year-old could not be ruled out, a rescue helicopter was requested, it was said.
In the Rhine-Neckar area, the police and fire brigade were deployed on a large number of operations, as the Mannheim police headquarters announced in the evening. It was said that the material damage caused cannot yet be quantified. In Hesse, the fire brigades had dozens of operations due to squalls.
In Rhineland-Palatinate, the Koblenz police headquarters reported ten cars in its region that had been damaged by falling trees or other objects. Power and telephone lines were also affected by falling trees. “The interruptions were only short-lived,” said Koblenz.
Tomorrow will also remain uncomfortable at first: there will be continuous rain locally from midnight onwards, and according to the weather service, light snowfall can even be expected in the south above 1000 meters. According to information, it could become locally slippery above 800 meters on Tuesday morning. The maximum values are between seven and thirteen degrees. dpa