Meteorologists expect a change in the weather +++ Anglers save fish from an almost dry canal +++ Heat deaths: DIVI managing director considers RKI estimate to be too low +++ all developments in the live blog
In our live blog we will inform you about all developments relating to extreme weather in Germany and the world and the consequences.
Change in the weather at the start of the week
After the weather change, the new week starts with clouds, showers and thunderstorms. Heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected on Monday, particularly in the south and southeast, according to the German Weather Service (DWD). As the day progresses, these gradually move into the Alps or into the Czech Republic and Poland.
“The heat will be history there too,” says DWD meteorologist Marcel Schmid. Showers are also possible in the north and east, but in the west, southwest and parts of the center a weak influence of high pressure will ensure a dry sun-cloud mix. The maximum values therefore reach 20 to 26 degrees.
Heavy showers of rain are also expected in the southwest half on Tuesday, and isolated thunderstorms are possible during the day. In the northeast half and from Breisgau to the High Rhine the sun shows up at times and it mostly stays dry. In the extreme southwest the thermometer climbs up to 28 degrees, otherwise the maximum temperature is between 19 and 25 degrees.
On Wednesday, showery rain is expected with similar temperatures, especially across the center and in the northeast. A total of 10 to 30 liters per square meter of precipitation is expected across the area by Thursday evening, said Schmid. In the extreme south, 30 to 50 liters are possible, locally even over 80 liters per square meter.
Anglers rescue fish from almost dry canal
With landing nets in the mud: Members of the Freiburg fishing club are trying to save the last surviving fish from the almost dry commercial canal. In some places there is only five to six centimeters of water left in the canal, which normally carries water throughout. “Everything is dead in the places that have dried out,” said the association’s first chairman, Franz Bühler. Thousands of fish in and around Freiburg have already died.
The remaining fish are caught with landing nets and put into the Dietenbach, which still has some water. The club had previously used fish from the commercial canal there. Not an easy task: “The fish are still very agile and fast – it’s not that easy to catch them with a landing net,” said Bühler. Some will be saved, some will be left behind.
There is a reason why the current spot in the canal still harbors fish: it is in the shade and cools down a bit at night. This has enabled the animals to survive so far. The part of the canal where the sun shines is completely dry. Experience has shown that if the canal is flooded again, new fish would come in.
“The situation is really dramatic,” said Bühler. The club is now hoping for rain and falling temperatures in the coming week, then the remaining fish in the canal might still have a chance.
DWD: No rain for Monschau and Hürtgenwald today
According to the German Weather Service, fire fighters in the North Rhine-Westphalian towns of Monschau and Hürtgenwald cannot count on rain as support today. There will be no precipitation, but the wind there will be weak to moderate, i.e. quite favorable, said a meteorologist from the weather service.
The fire front in the Belgian High Fens is approaching the German border, and the city of Monschau has asked around 5,000 residents of the Kalterherberg and Mützenich districts to prepare for an evacuation as a precaution. Monschau is around two kilometers from the border.
In the Hürtgenwald in the Eifel, around 20 kilometers away, the situation is easing, but the operation against the fire is continuing, and precipitation would help here too. According to the German Weather Service, there could be light rain in the Eifel on Monday night or in the morning, but the models are not yet clear.
Further precautionary measures in Monschau
The North Rhine-Westphalian town of Monschau, which is threatened by a forest fire, recommends that citizens of some districts temporarily leave their houses and apartments due to potentially health-endangering smoke pollution. In view of the spread of the fire front in the High Fens, it is expected that there will be significant smoke pollution and smoke precipitation from the morning onwards, the city announced on its website early in the morning. Health risks from the fire smoke cannot be ruled out.
The city had previously called on other districts to prepare for an evacuation on the night of this Sunday. Monschau is around two kilometers from the border. A city spokeswoman told the dpa that these were precautionary measures. No evacuation is currently expected.
The fire department is closely monitoring the forest fire in Belgium, but is currently not expecting the flames to spread to German territory any time soon. “We are definitely continuing to keep an eye on the situation,” said Philipp Krüger, operations manager of the Monschau fire department, to the dpa. Units would now be sent on break. “We will constantly monitor the operational situation, reassess it and, if necessary, call in units.”
The emergency services had previously watered fields near the German-Belgian border in order to gain a head start before the fire. The Technical Relief Agency supported the fire department.
The Rhine water level near Kaub rises slightly to eleven centimeters
The low water situation in the Rhine did not worsen any further on Saturday. The water level at the much-noticed measuring point in Kaub, Rhineland-Palatinate, rose slightly to eleven centimeters by late morning - after six centimeters the day before, according to monitoring by the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine. Because most ships can no longer pass this shallow area, the Rhine is actually divided into two.
A further fall in the water levels would have made the situation even worse. At the beginning of the week, single-digit water levels were forecast for the course of the week for the first time. The inland shipping association then announced that Germany's most important waterway would then no longer be navigable.
New forest fire in southwest France
Just a few weeks after devastating forest fires, a new fire has spread near Luglon in the Landes department in southwest France. The fire broke out on Thursday and, according to the prefecture there, has now affected around 1,600 hectares of forest and bushland. Around 650 people were brought to safety as a precaution.
The community, around 100 kilometers southeast of Arcachon, lies in the middle of an extensive maritime pine forest area. According to the authorities, no residential building has been caught in the flames so far.
According to the authorities, around 550 firefighters are on duty. They are supported from the air by Canadair firefighting planes, among others. According to the television station BFMTV, a heavy-duty Chinook CH-47D helicopter borrowed from Australia is also in use. It can hold up to 11,300 liters of water, almost twice as much as a Canadair firefighting aircraft.
The new fire is hitting a region that is still scarred by the severe fires of the summer. At the end of July, around 3,700 hectares were burned near Biscarrosse in the Landes department and around 42,000 hectares near Saumos in the neighboring Gironde department.
Almost 850 hectares destroyed in Belgium near the German border
According to authorities, almost 850 hectares of land have been destroyed so far by a forest fire in the High Fens nature reserve in eastern Belgium near the German border. The extinguishing work was continuing, the governor of the province of Liège, Hervé Jamar, said on Facebook on Saturday. The fire broke out on Friday afternoon in the forest area near the German community of Monschau and spread quickly during the night.
Reinforcements from all over Belgium and Germany were mobilized. Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said three fire engines were on their way to provide support. The authorities initially did not call for evacuations.
Like much of Europe, Belgium has also suffered from a new heat wave in recent days. Scientists say more frequent and intense heat waves caused by man-made climate change are increasing the risk of wildfires.
Extreme heat again on Saturday before the weather changes
Much of Germany is facing another very hot day on Saturday, then a change in the weather is approaching. Apart from the cooler northwest, the German Weather Service (DWD) expects highs of 30 to 38 degrees in many places. In the northwest it remains significantly less hot at 22 to 29 degrees. After a clear start, clouds will gather from the southwest across the west to the north and northeast over the course of the day, and heavy showers and thunderstorms are possible in some places. There may be local gusts of up to around 90 km/h, and occasionally heavy rain and hail.
In the southeast and east, however, it stays sunny and mostly dry for a long time, only becoming cloudier there in the afternoon. The wind turns weak to moderate to the north, in the south it remains slightly windy in places.
Given the ongoing drought, the risk of forest fires remains high in many regions - apart from the northwest, high to very high danger is expected on Saturday.
On Sunday night there may be showery rain and isolated thunderstorms in a strip from the west and southwest to the east. The weather change will continue on Sunday: In the southern half, strong showers and thunderstorms are possible locally, while in the north and large parts of the middle it will remain mostly dry - at the same time, temperatures in the northern half will drop to 20 to 27 degrees, and in the south they will reach another 28 to 33 degrees.
Heat deaths: DIVI managing director considers RKI estimate to be too low
The medical director of the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (DIVI), Uwe Janssens, considers the RKI estimate of around 12,500 heat-related deaths this summer to be too low. “There are certainly several thousand more deaths,” the intensive care doctor told the newspapers of the Funke media group. Many cases are not recorded as heat-related because death certificates indicate organ failure. He therefore assumes that the figures from the Robert Koch Institute “do not reflect the entire drama”. Older people who live alone and have previous illnesses are particularly at risk.
“I am, even as a citizen, extremely disturbed by the inaction of the federal and state governments,” said Janssens. He calls for a binding national heat protection plan and more money for heat protection in hospitals. In addition, more neighborhood help, psychosocial support and networks are needed to reach people at risk early during heat waves. In France, for example, municipalities actively contacted registered vulnerable people. In Germany, on the other hand, “people not only die from the heat, but ultimately also from social neglect,” says Janssens.
The Robert Koch Institute estimates that the heat in Germany led to around 12,500 deaths from April 6th to August 2nd. There were a particularly high number of deaths during the heat wave from June 22nd to 28th: the RKI assumes around 9,600 heat-related deaths this week. According to the RKI, this is a conservative estimate that can be adjusted later.
Fulda declares a water emergency
The city of Fulda and the communities of Eichenzell and Ebersburg have declared a water supply emergency. According to RhönEnergie, the drinking water supply situation in the region has become even worse. “The situation is more than tense,” said Arnt Meyer, managing director of the RhönEnergie Group, which is responsible for water supply in the three municipalities.
This means that binding restrictions apply immediately. Citizens and businesses are urgently urged to limit their water consumption to what is absolutely necessary, it said. Fines could be imposed for violations.
Watering lawns, flowers and plants in the home garden or filling pools and cisterns are completely prohibited. The same applies to washing cars, cooling with tap water and cleaning work around the house and yard, for example with a garden hose or high-pressure cleaner.
Further increases in delivery volumes are not possible
“The prolonged drought with exceptionally low rainfall has resulted in the natural springs releasing significantly less water,” says Managing Director Meyer. In addition, the water levels in the deep wells are falling significantly. The conveyor systems are now running around the clock, but “a further increase in the conveying volumes is not possible”.
At the same time, according to RhönEnergie, water consumption has risen sharply - to currently around 40 percent above normal levels. “So that the water supply can continue to be maintained, it is now imperative to significantly reduce consumption,” explained Meyer. Drinking water may not be used for purposes that are not absolutely necessary.
