As expected, the low "Emmerlidne" brings violent storms to Germany. Severe damage is reported from North Rhine-Westphalia. Dozens of injured people are counted in Paderborn.
The storm "Emmelinde" caused severe damage in North Rhine-Westphalia. According to the police, 30 to 40 people were injured in Paderborn, "ten of them seriously", when a "wind troop pulled across the city". The result was damage running into millions. A fire department spokesman reported in the early evening that roofs were covered and trees were uprooted. A dpa reporter reported that trees had fallen on cars. "It's chaos here right now," said a police spokeswoman.
A suspected tornado also caused massive damage in Lippstadt, about 35 kilometers away, in the afternoon. The entire city area was affected, said a fire department spokesman. Numerous roofs were covered and trees fell on cars. However, according to previous reports, there were neither deaths nor injuries. At times, around 120 bathers were trapped in the Cabrioli leisure pool in Lippstadt because fallen trees blocked the entrance. The trapped people were later freed, the fire brigade reported.
In the district of Hellinghausen, the top of a church fell down due to the storm. Around 200 to 300 firefighters are deployed. The Lippstadt fire brigade is supported by forces from several neighboring towns. The task force in the Soester rescue center is pulling together forces from the region in Lippstadt, it said in a statement. The first thing to do is to get an overview of the damage.
Due to numerous trees on the track, there are considerable restrictions on rail traffic in the Nuremberg area on Friday evening. This was announced by DB Regio Bayern via Twitter. The S-Bahn traffic on the Neustadt-Aisch-Steinach and Bad Windsbach-Wicklesgreuth routes must be completely stopped. After midsummer days in Bavaria, the German Weather Service had forecast severe storms for Friday. In Franconia there were some violent thunderstorms.
According to meteorologists, the thunderstorms should spread to the middle of Germany. "Locally extremely heavy heavy rain of around 40 liters per square meter in a short time, large hail of up to five centimeters and heavy gusts of wind to hurricanes at speeds between 100 and 130 kilometers per hour" are to be expected, according to the DWD warning report. "Possible tornadoes not excluded."
Deutsche Bahn expected severe weather effects on rail traffic in western, central and eastern Germany. Passengers who wanted to postpone their trip planned for Friday could use their booked long-distance tickets flexibly up to and including seven days after the end of the disruption. Seat reservations could be exchanged free of charge, according to the Deutsche Bahn website.
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