Severe storms with heavy rain and hail have put a lot of pressure on the fire brigade and police, especially in the west of the country. North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg were particularly affected, where the Saalbach river overflowed its banks in the Karlsruhe district. The old town of Heidelsheim near Bruchsal was particularly badly hit. The water was up to 1.50 metres high at one point, the local fire brigade reported. The Saalbach reached its highest level in Bruchsal during the night at a good 2.13 metres – just over the 2.10 metre mark. On average, flooding there only rises to this level once every 100 years.
Emergency services also reported flooded basements and streets in other federal states. Rail traffic was temporarily halted on at least two routes due to damaged overhead lines. Fortunately, there were no reports of serious injuries or deaths. The storms were preceded by a heat wave that reached its peak in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler with temperatures of up to 36.5 degrees. According to preliminary data from the German Weather Service, this was the hottest day of the year so far.
Source: Stern
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