Due to the storm “Joshua”, an official severe weather warning is in place for the coast, the East Frisian Islands, and the North Frisian Islands. The German Weather Service (DWD) is warning of hurricane-force gusts. This will also affect ferry traffic. A cold front is bringing heavy rain and severe gusts of wind to Baden-Württemberg. These have already caused numerous firefighting operations. A train has derailed in the neighboring Allgäu region.
The German Weather Service (DWD) predicts a big change in the weather: “Joshua” will bring strong winds, showers, and thunderstorms. DWD meteorologist Karsten Kürbis told NDR that the storm is still near Belgium and would later travel to the German Bight.
The cruise liner “AIDAperla” has reduced its itinerary through Norway due to the fall storm. The “Hamburger Abendblatt” stated that the ship will return to Hamburg on Friday, one day sooner than anticipated.
Hurricane-force gusts on the East Frisian Islands
According to weather expert Kürbis, the first gusts of the storm are expected in the first half of the night in southwest Lower Saxony and then further towards Oldenburger Land and Münsterland. From the second half of the night, around 2 a.m., the entire region of Lower Saxony will be affected, according to the meteorologist, including the East Frisian Islands and the coast.
The storm could reach wind force 11. Hurricane-force gusts of wind force 12 – around 120 kilometers per hour – are also possible, said Kürbis. It will also be stormy in the Harz Mountains. In the first half of the night, the wind is said to increase significantly.
Severe gusts of storm are also expected in the western part of the Harz. According to the DWD weather expert, hurricane-force gusts will be experienced on the Brocken.
The storm reaches the entire north on Friday morning
On Friday morning, severe gusts of wind force 10 cannot be ruled out even inland, the weather expert said. Storm “Joshua” will reach further parts of the north this morning. Large parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania should also expect severe gusts. Hurricane-force winds are also possible on the North Sea. “Sylt will be out of the picture until the afternoon,” said Kürbis. Things will remain calm there for the time being.
Storm: The wind blows weaker inland
A storm surge is to be expected in the North Sea and on the islands. The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) is warning of potentially significantly increased water levels along the German North Sea coast and in the Weser and Elbe river basins from Friday to Sunday. In the Baltic Sea, however, meteorologists expect low tides as the wind pushes the water eastward.
According to the DWD, a storm surge of up to two meters above mean high tide is likely in Hamburg during the night from Thursday to Friday. Cars should therefore not be parked near the fish market. On Saturday, the wind is expected to shift from southwest to northwest.
Storm “Joshua”: Tree falls on tracks in Allgäu, train derails
A regional express train struck a fallen tree and derailed in the neighbouring Bavarian Allgäu region . The 20 passengers on board, which was traveling from Lindau on Lake Constance toward Immenstadt, were uninjured in the accident near Grünenbach (Lindau district), according to a spokesperson for the Federal Police. Only the front chassis of the railcar left the tracks.
However, the accident is likely to cause problems for passengers on the route for some time to come: According to the Federal Police, the line is expected to remain closed until Friday afternoon. The railway has set up a rail replacement service. According to the Federal Police, the damages amount to €200,000.
Firefighters responded to numerous incidents in the Baden-Baden area , primarily due to fallen trees, flooded basements, and blown-off roofs. The fire department reportedly had to respond to 41 incidents by midday. Among other incidents, the B500 was closed for a few minutes due to fallen treetops. The roofs of two supermarkets were partially blown off. According to current information, there were no injuries.
The Freiburg Police Headquarters reported more than two dozen incidents by midday due to branches and fallen trees on roads. The districts affected included Waldshut , Emmendingen, Lörrach, and Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald . So far, there have been no injuries. Near Hohentengen am Hochrhein (Waldshut district), a tree even fell on a moving car. In Bad Säckingen, poles fell from a roof onto a vehicle.
Hurricane-force winds up to 157 km/h on Feldberg
The German Weather Service (DWD) has also issued severe weather warnings for some locations above 1,000 metres in the state. These have been in effect since early Thursday morning for the Freiburg and Karlsruhe administrative districts.
On the Feldberg, the German Weather Service (DWD) measured extreme hurricane-force gusts with speeds of up to 157 kilometres per hour. In Bierbronnen (Waldshut district) , 109 km/h were measured, and on the Swiss side in Basel, even 102 km/h was measured. This is despite the city’s elevation, according to the data.
Stormy weather will continue after the weekend
The German Weather Service (DWD) expects highs between 12 and 17 degrees Celsius today, with temperatures around 12 degrees Celsius on Friday.
According to DWD weather expert Kürbis, the weather will remain windy to stormy over the weekend. He expects severe gusts of wind along the coast at least until Sunday. After that, the weather will calm down, but strong winds will persist.
The meteorologist anticipates changeable weather in the north until the beginning of next week – with precipitation, showers, and isolated thunderstorms.
