Storm weather in Germany: First city in a “state of emergency” – Federal Office now also warns of storm surge

There are currently nationwide disruptions in rail traffic. Which routes are affected as well as information on the use of tickets that have already been booked can be found at https://t.co/kzJtR2P1SE. Please inform yourself about your connection https://t.co/kzJtR2P1SE or in the DB Navigator.

– Deutsche Bahn passenger transport (@DB_Bahn) October 21, 2021

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The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency is currently warning of a storm surge in the North Sea and the Weser-Elbe region. During the afternoon and evening floods, water levels of up to 1.50 meters above the mean flood can be expected. Further flash floods are also possible for Friday. In the Hamburg district of St. Pauli, the apex should be reached on Thursday around 6 p.m., according to dpa.

Storm thanks to storm “Ignatz”: Bahn stops connections, first people trapped in cars

Update from October 21, 10.55 a.m.: “Ignatz” has meanwhile also reached Berlin, the local fire brigade has declared a state of emergency. This allows the emergency services to prioritize emergency calls and initially help where people are in danger. In the districts of Prenzlauer Berg and Mitte, people had previously been trapped in their cars under trees.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, the railway temporarily completely stopped long-distance traffic due to the storm damage. There are currently no travel options “with long-distance traffic from / to NRW in the direction of Hamburg, Hanover, Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe and Frankfurt (Main). The ICE trains from / to Amsterdam and from / to Brussels are completely canceled, ”says the message on bahn.de.

Storm “Ignatz” continues to rage: motorway closures and rail traffic suspended due to storms

Update from October 21, 9:30 a.m .: The storm moves on. Now the DWD warns of “strong thunderstorms in parts of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg”. Extreme hurricane gusts can also be expected on the Brocken. A warning of hurricane-like and severe gusts of wind continues to apply across the country. According to the DWD, the storm should reach its maximum in the coming hours and move on to the east.

the HE DOES reports of a motorway closure on the A61 near Speyer. A lorry standing across is blocking the entire lane. Deutsche Bahn also announced on Twitter that there was storm damage at Fürth. This mainly affects the long-distance route Würzburg-Nuremberg. Trains are diverted and there are delays.

Weather: Storm “Ignatz” reaches wind speeds of up to 162 km / h – DWD has issued a storm warning

Update from October 21, 8.25 a.m.: The first measurement data for low “Ignatz” arrive: In Trier wind speeds of around 115 km / h were measured. It was even more intense in the mountains. The Feldberg in the Black Forest measured a whopping 162 km / h – full hurricane strength. Now the storm is moving towards the middle and east of the country, more hurricane gusts are expected, says meteorologist Dominik Jung from the weather portal wetter.net with.

The DWD has issued further severe weather warnings for hurricane-like gusts. A red storm warning field now stretches from Saarland across Germany to Saxony.

Update from October 21, 8:17 a.m.: Storm depression “Ignatz” caused many fire and police operations in Hesse. In the Fulda district in particular, numerous reports were received by the police early on Thursday morning, reports the dpa news agency. Police spokespersons reported fallen trees, sunshades flying around or a trampoline that had flown away. Occasionally, there was minor damage to property. According to the police, people were initially not injured. It remains to be seen how the storm in Hesse develops in the course of the morning.

Storm low “Ignatz”: German weather service warns – Katwarn triggers

Update from October 21, 7.49 a.m.: KATWARN triggered in view of the impending autumn storms in Germany. The German weather service DWD warns of “extreme weather” in the period from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

„Hurricane-like gusts occur at speeds of up to 115 km / h (32m / s, 63kn, Bft 11) initially from a south-westerly and later from a westerly direction“- it says in the current KATWARN warning.

The DWD also expressly warns of possible dangers:

„Hints:
CAUTION! Reference to possible dangers: For example, trees can be uprooted and roofs damaged. Pay particular attention to falling branches, tiles or objects. Close all windows and doors! Secure items outdoors! In particular, keep a distance from buildings, trees, scaffolding and high-voltage lines. Try to avoid staying outside!“

Storm low “Ignatz”: German weather service warns of storms and hurricane-like gusts

Update from October 21, 2021, 6.40 a.m.: In large parts of Germany it is still quite mild and calm in the morning – especially in the south you can hardly feel anything. But the first big autumn storm will make itself felt throughout Germany during the day, warns the German Weather Service (DWD) on Thursday morning. On the Feldberg in the Black Forest, gusts with a wind force of 160 km / h have already been measured.

Storm alarm in Germany – storm “Ignatz”

Over the middle to the east and north-east of Germany, heavy gusts of wind and sometimes hurricane-like gusts of up to 105 kilometers per hour can be expected. In the mountains there could even be hurricane gusts of up to 120 kilometers per hour. “Short-lived tornadoes are not excluded,” warns the DWD. In the afternoon, individual thunderstorms approached again from the northwest. Storm gusts of around 80 km / h are to be expected.

The good news: In the afternoon the wind from the west and southwest slowly eases. Deutsche Bahn warned of possible train cancellations or delays due to the storm. However, in the morning there were still no reports of actual disruptions in rail traffic.