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Heavy storms slam northern Germany

DDP/The Local
DDP/The Local - [email protected]
Heavy storms slam northern Germany
Photo:DPA

Bad weather including lightning, strong winds, and heavy rain swept across northern Germany on Thursday night, uprooting trees and disrupting road and rail traffic.

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The German state of Lower Saxony was particularly hard hit by the storm.

A landspout – a type of low-grade tornado – blew over Rothenburg an der Wümme, knocking over countless trees. One person was slightly injured after a tree fell on top of a car. Another tree blocked railway service from Rothenburg to Bremen after a train slammed into it.

A gust of wind also toppled a tree into the power line along the railway from Bremen to Hannover, which had to be closed after the tree caught fire. One house in Hannover even had its roof ripped off by winds.

Heavy rain also temporarily closed several roads, including the A27 autobahn near Langwedel. Emergency services said they received over 100 calls in a short period of time.

The coastal state of Schleswig-Holstein was also hit by strong thunderstorms and wind gusts, which damaged a boating facility.

The low pressure system “Christine” is likely to ensure Germany’s weather heading into the weekend remains wet and cool, according the German Weather Service.

On Friday, it will rain in the region near the Alps and clouds will bring showers or strong thunderstorms to much of the rest of the country. Temperatures will range between 19 to 25 degrees Celsius during the day and 10 to 15 degrees overnight.

Saturday will start off a mixed bag, however, the next storm front from the northwest will bring more rain towards evening. Temperatures will range from 18 to 22 degrees.

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