The German Weather Service is currently warning of severe thunderstorms in large parts of Germany. In Dresden, a lightning strike injured two customers at a supermarket. The railway line between Hamburg and Bremen is only slowly reopening. You can read all about the current situation in the weather ticker.
Friday, June 28, 2024, 6:32 a.m.: The train route between Hamburg and Bremen is once again open at slow speeds after being closed due to the effects of severe weather. Traffic started up again in the early hours of the morning from Thursday to Friday, a railway spokeswoman said.
On Thursday, heavy thunderstorms near Tostedt (Harburg district) caused the tracks to be washed away. The line is now open again, but only at low speeds, said the spokeswoman. This resulted in delays of around 15 minutes. It remains unclear when normal operations will resume.
11:28 p.m.: A lightning strike is said to have started a fire in a barn in Weismain in the Lichtenfels district. There were still around 50 cattle in an adjacent barn when the fire broke out on Thursday. According to police, many of the animals were injured, but most were gradually rescued from the barn. Two cattle, however, had to be killed on the orders of an official veterinarian.
A witness reported the fire on Thursday afternoon via emergency call. Both the barn and the stable burned out completely, but the fire brigade was able to prevent the flames from spreading to a residential building. Several people were slightly injured: a member of the fire brigade was kicked by a cow, and a resident, a veterinarian and a firefighter suffered minor smoke inhalation.
Extinguishing the fire took several hours and more than 250 firefighters were deployed. The damage is estimated at around 500,000 euros.
11:07 p.m.: After lightning struck a supermarket in Dresden, two injured employees were taken to hospital. The woman and the man, both 50 years old, complained of headaches, malaise and nausea, the fire department announced on Thursday evening. Both were given emergency medical treatment and then taken to a hospital by ambulance.
The lightning strike had apparently caused a defect in a refrigeration system for baked goods, it was said. In addition, a chemical smell spread throughout the supermarket. The cause of this was unclear. A large contingent of 80 emergency personnel from the volunteer fire brigade and professional fire brigade were alerted. When the first emergency personnel reached the supermarket in Klotzsche, the store had already been evacuated.
A heavy thunderstorm with heavy rain swept over Dresden on Thursday. It also flooded streets and brought down trees, it was reported. The districts of Klotzsche, Hellerau, Wilschdorf and Löbtau were particularly affected. The fire brigade is working tirelessly with numerous emergency personnel to clear the dangerous areas. In one case, water and mud penetrated a residential building.
9.12 p.m.: Storms have led to fire service operations and traffic disruptions in parts of Germany. The train line between Bremen and Hamburg was closed on Thursday evening. Long-distance trains are being diverted via Hanover without stopping, the railway announced. It is unclear how long the line will be closed due to heavy rain near Tostedt in Lower Saxony.
8.30 p.m.: Heavy thunderstorms also kept the fire brigade busy in parts of Thuringia on Thursday evening. The federal highway 281 near Neuhaus had to be closed in the early evening due to flooding, a spokeswoman for the situation center in the Ministry of the Interior in Erfurt said.
According to the responsible rescue control center, the fire brigade was also deployed in Gerthausen in southwest Thuringia to pump out cellars. After heavy rain, parts of the town were briefly under water when the Herpf river quickly swelled. “The situation has already calmed down again,” it was reported in the evening. At midday, lightning struck a semi-detached house in Ilmenau (Ilm district) and caused extensive damage.
The warning level RED applies in these districts:
7:50 p.m.: Due to bad weather, the train line between Bremen and Hamburg is closed until further notice. Long-distance trains will be diverted via Hanover without stopping on Thursday evening, the railway announced. Metronom’s regional trains are cancelled. It is unclear how long the line will be closed due to heavy rain near Tostedt (Harburg district).
The tracks between Lauenbrück and Buchholz were flooded and submerged, it was further reported. Travelers are asked to find out about their train connections in advance.
You can read more about the current weather conditions here.