Violent storms caused severe damage in parts of Germany overnight. At least one person was killed and other people were injured. Dozens of buildings were partly destroyed. There may be further strong storms locally, especially in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, as the German Weather Service warns.
A tornado occurred in Fürstenwalde/Spree, Brandenburg, as confirmed by the German Weather Service. “The event in Fürstenwalde was undoubtedly a tornado,” said the DWD in response to a request from the German Press Agency. This has now been proven by several videos that have been distributed on social media channels.
The police situation center in Potsdam said that some damage had occurred, for example because fallen trees had hit cars. According to Mayor Matthias Rudolph (Alliance Fürstenwalder Zukunft), two people who were sitting in a vehicle were injured. They came to the hospital. One person was slightly injured by broken glass, said Rudolph.
As the police also reported, at least one roof was covered. In one photo, a tree trunk can be seen sticking out of the ceiling in the kitchen of a residential building.
Some houses uninhabitable
In Höhr- Grenzhausen in the Westerwald district, the storm tore walls out of houses. At least two structures were affected, said a dpa reporter on site. There was damage from falling parts of the facade and flying objects. And trees had fallen everywhere. In the municipality of Bannberscheid (Westerwaldkreis), parts of the facade of the Aubachhalle were blown away. In addition, there was a large-scale power outage on site. A truck overturned on the A61 due to squalls.
There were also numerous weather-related operations during the night in Hesse, Thuringia and Bavaria. In Wetzlar (Lahn-Dill district) in Hesse, the storm damaged around 60 houses, the fire department announced. The damage ranges from individual missing roof tiles to a complete roof covering. According to the police, houses in Solms in the Lahn-Dill district are also affected. At the dpa's request, the DWD confirmed on Thursday morning that a tornado had also occurred in the greater Wetzlar area. How strong the tornado was is still being analyzed.
In Waldorf, Rhineland-Palatinate, a woman was hit by a falling tree and fatally injured. Another woman suffered serious injuries, the police said. The two women, aged 58 and 47, were reportedly walking together when the storm hit and they sought shelter in a covered seating area. When a nearby tree was uprooted by the storm and fell onto the seating area, both women were hit. The 58-year-old died at the scene of the accident, a police spokesman said. The 47-year-old was taken to a hospital.
Shooting festival with 3,500 guests partially cleared
A shooting festival in Kronach in Bavaria was partially evacuated due to severe storms: around 3,500 guests had to leave the outdoor area of the festival area late on Wednesday evening, a police spokesman said in the morning. But the guests could have continued partying in the beer halls.
In Lower Franconia, Bavaria, several cars were damaged by the storm in the evening. According to a police spokesman, numerous trees fell due to the storm and fell onto roads and cars. A parked caravan was also hit by a tree. According to the information, no people were harmed.
