Flooded highway, praised city, deadly lightning strike: stormy weather plunges Germany into chaos

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Flooded highways, a city in a winter landscape and lost human life. A storm hit several regions of Germany on Tuesday.

The town of Worms in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate was completely covered in white due to hailstones the size of golf balls. A man (†43) died late Tuesday evening as a result of a lightning strike. He was riding his motorcycle when he was suddenly hit, the police announced on Wednesday evening. He died at the scene of the accident.

Schools and daycare centers in Worms will remain closed on Wednesday. Significant damage was caused to the roof of a school. The roof of an operating room at the Worms Clinic was also destroyed. The damage had to be temporarily repaired by the fire brigade.

Cars are stuck in meters of water

The A2 highway in the northwest of the country was completely flooded during the short but heavy rain. The water masses were so strong that cars became stuck meters deep in the water. Photos and videos circulating on social media from the Beckum-Hamm section show vehicles sunk in the water. Even a police car got stuck. There was no more passage. As “Bild” reports, a man was seriously injured on this highway. He had to be taken to hospital by rescue helicopter.

The highest purple alert level had to be declared in eight districts in West Germany. Gale-force winds sometimes resulted in broken trees ending up on the streets. The police had to set up no fewer than 25 road closures. The power sometimes went out for hours. Cellars were flooded. Four people were injured, some seriously, in weather-related traffic accidents in the region.

Tree hits car in Burgdorf BE

And there are no signs that the situation will be defused. According to the weather forecasts, it will storm again on Wednesday. The German Weather Service (DWD) warns of heavy rainfall in the east and northeast of Germany. Hamburg, Schwerin and the southern half of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern were particularly affected by the first warnings.

Isolated, heavy thunderstorms also broke out in parts of Switzerland. In Burgdorf BE on Tuesday a tree fell on a car in Oberburgstrasse. The driver and passenger were trapped in the car, the cantonal police of Bern announced on Wednesday. The rescuers rescued the men from their predicament. The seriously injured driver had to be flown to hospital by Rega. The passenger was transported to hospital by ambulance.

No major thunderstorms are currently expected for Wednesday. However, it remains rainy and quite cool. (An)

Source: Blick