Hazardous tornadoes wreaked mass destruction on Friday in the eastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia’s most populous federal state. In Paderborn alone, 43 people were injured, 13 of them seriously. Faced with the devastating damage caused by the storm “Emmelinde” in several cities, the state government wants to analyze help for those affected. In Central Franconia, a storm caused a log cabin to collapse, injuring 14 people.
According to an initial assessment by the City of Paderborn, more than 100 buildings have suffered storm damage and dozens of businesses are facing massive damage. A tornado also occurred in Lippstadt, in the district of Soest, and in the city of Höxter, in the easternmost part of North Rhine-Westphalia, the German Weather Service (DWD) confirmed. Aside from the damage reports, the police had no reports of injuries.
strip of desolation
According to local authorities, the tornado in Paderborn caused destruction 300 meters wide and five kilometers long across the city. Mayor Michael Dreier (CDU) reported Saturday that trees and traffic lights were broken like matches. Flying tiles “ate” the facades of neighboring houses.
According to the city administration on Sunday, five schools in Paderborn, including a high school, will remain fully or partially closed for the time being. A city spokesperson for the DPA said safe access to these buildings cannot yet be guaranteed. In Lippstadt, too, tornado damage is affecting school and daycare operations. Seven schools, including two high schools and five day care centers, will remain closed for the time being.
tornadoes and thunderstorms
As NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) announced, more than 7,500 emergency services from the fire brigade and aid organizations were mobilized within 48 hours. They would have given anything to prevent the worst from happening. DWD confirmed a total of three suspected tornado cases in NRW on Saturday – in Paderborn, Lippstadt and Höxter. Tornadoes formed in connection with strong storms. They appeared on a small scale.
In the state of Bavaria, 14 people were injured when a wooden hut collapsed in a severe storm in Brombachsee in central Franconia. As a police spokeswoman said, people sought shelter in the 105-square-meter cabin because of the storm. It then collapsed for an unknown reason. Otherwise, Franconian firefighters were called in for hundreds of operations due to the series of thunderstorms because of fallen trees, covered roofs and road closures.
High “Zeus”
High “Zeus” brought sunny weather across much of Germany on Sunday – but storms are threatening again on Monday. “Pretend” has the potential for a severe storm, DWD announced Sunday in Offenbach. “However, ‘Finja’ fails to keep up with last Friday’s ‘Emmelinde’ by almost every parameter,” said one meteorologist. As per the current status, there is a regionally increased risk of severe weather due to heavy rains, hail and strong gusts of wind – especially from Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate, as well as Saarland via Bavaria and Hesse to Central Germany.