Storm chaos in Berlin: railway tracks closed, two dead, many injured!

Storm chaos in Berlin: railway tracks closed, two dead, many injured!

On Sunday, June 23, 2025, a strong storm caused significant damage in Berlin and Brandenburg and paralyzed rail traffic in the region. The storm, known as “Ziros”, brought wind speeds of up to 108 km/h (wind force 11) and presented the emergency services with enormous challenges. Within just an hour and a half, over 1,200 operations were registered in Brandenburg, while the fire brigade in Berlin had to be deployed more than 500 times to clear fallen trees and the associated dangers. Tragically, two people lost their lives due to fallen trees. One person was hit by a falling tree in Berlin and another in Schönwalde (Havelland) and survived.

The storm's impact wasn't just limited to the roads, however. All S-Bahn connections in Berlin were temporarily suspended because numerous trees and branches had fallen on the tracks. The first isolated resumption of operations will begin on Monday evening, June 24th, but there were still significant delays and cancellations in rail traffic, particularly on the route between Berlin and Hamburg, which had since been closed. According to NDR, some train connections were still affected on Tuesday morning.

Special weather conditions

Storm “Ziros” is not the first of its kind in the recent past. Historically, such severe storms are rare in Berlin; comparable events were storm “Xavier” in 2017 and storm “Anita” in 2002, which also had tragic consequences. The extreme weather conditions have exacerbated the already tense conditions in the region. Winds of over 100 km/h were measured in Berlin-Tempelhof and resulted in several people being injured, some seriously, including a cyclist who was hit by a tree.

Overall, the storm is a wake-up call to the emergency and rescue services, which have reached their limits in recent days. Despite the critical situation, there was also positive news: the city's repeated commitment to better prepare for such natural events gives hope that the infrastructure will be made more resilient in the future.

Impact and outlook

The storm not only affected the lives of many people, but also significantly affected public transport and infrastructure. So if you want to prepare for journeys on the S-Bahn network or long-distance train journeys in the coming days, you should always keep yourself informed about the latest information and take appropriate precautionary measures. Deutsche Bahn continually provides updates on its website to enable travelers to plan well.

Staying in one of the affected areas now requires increased vigilance. The weather service's storm warnings remain in effect and it is expected that further severe weather events will continue in the next few days. In view of the natural forces that have recently struck Germany, careful monitoring and prevention is necessary.

Previous storms, such as Hurricane Wiebke in 1990 or Hurricane Niklas in 2015, have already claimed many lives and clearly show that such weather phenomena should always be taken seriously. This current situation highlights the need to prepare for future natural events to ensure the safety of citizens. A storm like this is more than just a weather phenomenon; it influences everyday life and brings with it human fate, as recent events impressively demonstrate.