After weekend storms trigger 1,613 interventions, IMGW issues fresh alerts for northern Poland
Firefighters responded to over 1,600 incidents on Sunday as a storm front swept across Poland, with the south hardest hit. On Monday, IMGW issued fresh thunderstorm warnings for the northern provinces.
Sunday's storm front
A deep low-pressure system centred over the White Sea, with a secondary low over Lithuania, drove a storm front across Poland on Sunday, 19 July. The Instytut Meteorologii i Gospodarki Wodnej (IMGW) had issued first- and second-degree thunderstorm warnings for 15 of the country's 16 provinces. Only the south-western and southern fringes remained under a weak high-pressure wedge, while cooler and moist polar maritime air streamed in from the north-west. Almost the entire country experienced strong thunderstorms accompanied by intense rainfall and gusty winds.
Firefighter response
Państwowa Straż Pożarna (PSP) recorded 1,613 callouts on Sunday, the service announced on social media platform X on Monday morning. The southern provinces bore the brunt: Małopolskie logged 650 incidents, Śląskie over 380, and Lubelskie about 190. The interventions focused on clearing fallen trees and broken branches, pumping water from flooded buildings and grounds, and securing roofs and structures damaged by the wind.
The most incidents were recorded in Małopolskie province - 650, Śląskie - over 380, and Lubelskie - about 190. The calls mainly concerned removing fallen trees and broken branches, pumping water from flooded rooms and properties, and securing buildings damaged by strong wind.
- Małopolskie
- 650
- Śląskie
- 380
- Lubelskie
- 190
Monday's warnings
On Monday, 20 July, IMGW issued fresh thunderstorm alerts for the northern provinces: Pomorskie, Zachodniopomorskie, and the north-western part of Warmińsko-Mazurskie. The warnings, which took effect at 12:00 and were set to last into the evening, forecast storms with rainfall of 20 to 35 mm and wind gusts reaching 85 km/h. Localised hail was also possible. The rest of the country saw moderate to heavy cloud cover with scattered showers; only the south-east remained dry.
Weather outlook
Monday's forecast called for mostly light to moderate winds from the west, gusty in places, with gusts up to 55 km/h on the western coast. In the Sudetes, gusts could reach 70 km/h, and in the Carpathians around 60 km/h. During thunderstorms, wind speeds were expected to peak at about 70 km/h. Rainfall totals were generally up to 10 mm, but locally in the north up to 30 mm. The low-pressure influence was expected to persist, keeping the air mass cool and unstable.
