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Heatwave breaks as Hesse hit by heavy storms and flooding

The Local Germany
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Heatwave breaks as Hesse hit by heavy storms and flooding
The Marburg area was hit by floods on Tuesday night. Photo: DPA

After weeks of extreme heat and debilitating drought, the heatwave appears to have broken over the centre of Germany, as Hesse was hit by torrential rains on Tuesday night.

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Whole streets were left flooded and cars left stranded as huge storms raged over Hesse on Tuesday night. There were also reports of fallen trees and roofs being ripped from houses in the ferocious winds.

In the town of Kirchhain, near Marburg, local government spokesperson Stephan Schienbein told DPA that basements had been flooded, and that 200 firefighters had been deployed to help those in trouble. In total, 400 firefighters were deployed across the Marburg area. 

While nobody has yet been injured, the scale of the downpour has wreaked havoc in places like Kirchhain. A small town of just 16,000 people, it was hit by an estimated 150 litres of rain per square metre in just one three-hour period on Tuesday night.

Earlier this week, some communities in Hessen were being encouraged to save water, as drinking water supplies began to run low.

Showers and storms are also forecast for much of the rest of the country, with southern and western areas set to be particularly affected on Wednesday and Thursday.

Temperatures remain high across the country, however, with Cologne/Bonn airport reporting highs of 38.3 degrees on Tuesday.

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