Storm chaos in Saxony: hail, floods and power outages!

Storm chaos in Saxony: hail, floods and power outages!

Yesterday a violent storm hit Saxony, causing excitement in many regions. After a hot and humid Sunday, characterized by temperatures of up to 33 degrees Celsius in Hoyerswerda and Elsterheide, residents experienced violent thunderstorms with heavy rain and gusts of wind. The weather-related effects were particularly noticeable in areas such as the Erzgebirge, Vogtland, Chemnitz and Zwickau MDR reported.

In Schwarzenberg there was even heavy hailstorms, which temporarily turned some streets into a sea of ​​white. Unfortunately, this led to full cellars, flooded streets and fallen trees. In the Erzgebirgskreis, emergency services had to deploy around 250 times. The situation was particularly dramatic on the railway line between Johanngeorgenstadt and Antonsthal, which was blocked by an avalanche of rubble. A massive power outage in Stollberg, Lößnitz and Aue-Bad Schlema affected several hundred customers and caused additional problems.

Rapid weather changes

Like from the weather reports German Weather Service As can be seen, the thunderstorms continued until Monday night, with the massive rainfall reaching peak effects: In the city of Aue alone, 65 liters of rain per square meter fell within one hour, while at least 55 liters were measured on the Fichtelberg. This led to slipped slopes, flooded streets and abandoned cars in Aue. Things were also haywire in Vogtland: In Auerbach there were 77 operations within three hours - cellars were full, streets were flooded, and fallen trees blocked the roads.

A fallen tree in Auerbach that hit a parked car attracted particular attention. In addition, scaffolding on a residential building collapsed and caused further damage. The volunteer fire department in Auerbach found itself in a special situation due to the high volume of operations. Just a few kilometers away, in Treuen, the fire brigade had to be called out to remove a collapsed chimney that had damaged several vehicles.

The weather warnings in detail

According to the information available from Severe Weather Center The thunderstorm warnings were divided into different levels. There were advance warnings and acute warnings informing the population about the impending dangers of neon-colored maps and graphics. Hail and severe storm or hurricane gusts may also have occurred, especially in the red and purple warning areas.

The risk of severe weather due to heavy rain will reoccur in the near future as a cold front from a low is moving over the Shetlands towards Germany. The next few hours could again be peppered with heavy rainfall of 20 liters per square meter in a short period of time and gusts of up to 85 km/h, warn meteorologists.

Hopefully the weather will soon turn positive again, because after such showers, both nature and the people in Saxony need a break.