Heavy storms and hail pummel western and central Germany

Severe weather struck parts of western and central Germany on Thursday, June 3, 2021, including heavy rain and hail, causing havoc in the regions. Firefighters and police received multiple calls for assistance as traffic was brought to a standstill, trees were uprooted, and many homes were flooded.

Thunderstorms began Thursday evening, which eventually led to flooding, downed trees, and waterlogged cellars.

In Bottrop, a fir tree was struck by lightning and burst into flames, but the fires were quickly put out by rains.

In the municipality of Laer near Munster, the police reported flooding across streets and cellars after a brook overflowed. 

Meanwhile, in other parts of North Rhine-Westphalia, winds were so strong that they overturned trees. In Braubach, a parked vehicle was buried under fallen branches on the onslaught of the storm.

In Essen, firefighters were called for emergency as motorists were left stranded in submerged streets, with manhole covers bursting open.

A section of the B42 motorway, which runs between Bonn and Darmstadt, had to be closed due to a fallen tree. On another section of the motorway, a landslide occurred due to heavy rains.

Hailstorms accompanied the thunder and heavy winds, with some as large as 2 cm (0.8 inches) in diameter.

Elsewhere in the region, residents reported flooded cellars as the deluge continued through the night, finally ending around 02:00 UTC (04:00 LT) on Friday, June 4.

In total, around 50 calls for assistance were made in North Rhine-Westphalia. In Hesse, firefighters responded to around 70 weather incidents throughout the night.

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