Over the past few days, Germany has been battered by heavy rains and flooding. The German Weather Service (DWD) has warned that the eastern and northern parts of the country should expect more heavy rainfall.

Storms batter Germany

Over the past few days, Germany has been subjected to stormy conditions, being battered by heavy rains and strong winds. The weather has been so bad that emergency services have been called upon to help manage the effects, with the city of Frankfurt having to declare a state of emergency after rescue services were inundated with calls. Rainfall in the city reached up to 45 litres per square metre, enough to close streets, flood houses and affect hospitals.

The weather affected towns and cities across the country. Iron cladding was reported to have been ripped off roofs in Stuttgart, basements and underground carparks have been flooded in North Rhine-Westphalia and even landslides were reported in Baden-Württemburg.

The extreme weather has also caused numerous road accidents, with many drivers losing control of their vehicles. One 23-year-old girl was killed in Baden-Württemburg after a tree fell onto her car. In the town of Landshut in Bavaria, drivers struggled to get through flooded roads and “massive damage to property” has been reported.

Extreme weather to move north

On Wednesday morning, the DWD warned that the eastern and northern states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern should expect heavy rain over the next day or so, with patches of thunder and lightning.

On Wednesday, the head of the German Meteorological Service in Stuttgart said that the recent extreme weather is likely due to climate change. Meteorologist Uwe Schickedanz explained further: “Thunderstorms thrive on the heat down low and the cold up high because the differences in temperature are so big.” Essentially this means rising temperatures increase the risk of stormy weather.