Editor in chief at IamExpat Media
After causing damage and disruption across Germany on Thursday, the stormy weather is finally blowing itself out - but strong gusts of wind and isolated thunderstorms are still expected in parts of Germany on Friday.
Storm Ignatz (or Hendrik II) ravaged large parts of Germany on Thursday, with strong winds and hurricane-strength gusts causing trees to topple over onto rails, roads and powerlines.
Deutsche Bahn was forced to temporarily cancel regional rail services throughout Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt - and all long-distance train services in North Rhine-Westphalia - while passengers in Saarland, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria had to contend with cancellations and delays. As of Friday morning, normal service has largely resumed, but some delays and cancellations are still possible.
Up to 50.000 homes in Brandenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia experienced power outages as a result of the storm. A few people were also injured in several federal states as authorities issued warnings to not travel unless necessary and not enter wooded areas or national parks.
In Hesse, for example, a tree fell on a moving car, seriously injuring the 59-year-old who was driving. A 22-year-old woman was also involved in an incident on the autobahn near Wietmarschen in Lower Saxony.
Another driver in Thuringia ended up in hospital after being hit by a branch, and a cyclist in Saxony-Anhalt was injured by a falling tree. Several other people were also trapped in their cars by debris. In Uckermark in Brandenburg, a train driver was sadly killed while helping to clear the tracks.
In Hamburg, a storm surge flooded the famous fish market in the Saint Pauli district. A spokesperson said the flood’s height was reached early on Thursday evening at 1,72 metres above the mean flood level. Another flood of around 1,5 metres above the mean level was expected for Hamburg in the morning.
The German Weather Service still has a handful of weather warnings in place for Friday, with strong gusts of wind forecast for the northern, eastern and central parts of the country, as well as individual thunderstorms during the day. On high ground, gusts could reach speeds of up to wind force 11 or 12.
During the night to Saturday, the wind will gradually die down to below the warning threshold, although stormy gusts or squalls of around force 8 to 9 are still possible in coastal and mountainous regions. On the bright side, the strong winds will mean that many people will wake up to a bright and sunny Saturday morning. The dry weather looks set to last the whole weekend, but the temperature will remain low, with maximum values between 8 and 15 degrees.