Severe thunderstorms batter Germany: 1 person dead, 26 injured
Strong thunderstorms, accompanied with heavy rainfall, have been affecting the northern, central and eastern parts of Germany, since August 16, 2015 causing floods and landslides.
61 mm (2 inches) of rainfall was measured in Zinnwald-Georgenfeld in the province of Saxony, between August 17 and August 18. 74 mm (3 inches) was recorded between August 16 and August 17 in the district of Osnabrück in Lower Saxony.
Synoptic situation over Germany, August 19, 17:00 UTC. Image credit: MODIS/Terra NASA
Several areas in Germany have been hit by the severe weather. Floods and landslides uprooted trees and thunderstorms caused damage across Lower Saxony, Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt provinces, the National Civil Protection authorities reported. One person died in Thuringia, in the Eichsfeld district in the flood-related incident.
The victim in question was a fireman whose body was found by a creek in Rustenfelde Thuringia, local police reported.
On August 15, 26 people, both spectators and players, were injured as the lightning stroke the football field, local media reported.
According to the German Weather Service, the rain will continue to batter the country through the end of the week, before another sunny spell on the weekend of August 22. Orange alert remains in place for Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, as of August 19.
Featured image: Weather conditions over Germany, August 19, 2015, 17:00 UTC. Image credit: NASA Terra/MODIS.
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