Germany's heatwave intensifies as storms injure nine, flood towns and disrupt festivals

Heatwave grips Germany

Much of Germany remained under a punishing heat dome on Saturday, with the German Weather Service (DWD) warning of "strong to extreme" thermal stress. The preliminary peak was 38.5°C on Friday in Kitzingen, Bavaria, followed closely by Bad Kreuznach in Rhineland-Palatinate at 38.0°C.

“Even higher values are possible.”

The DWD forecast 30 to 38°C for Saturday and 30 to 39°C for Sunday, the summer solstice. No all-time records have fallen yet; the national high of 41.2°C dates to 25 July 2019 and the June record of 39.6°C was set the same year.

Thunderstorms cause casualties and flooding

Late Friday, vigorous thunderstorms swept across the southwest. In Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, lightning struck a tent encampment at a handball festival, injuring nine people, including a 13-year-old child; six were hospitalised. None are in life-threatening condition. In the Rhein-Lahn district of Rhineland-Palatinate, torrential rain sent several rivers over their banks. A district spokesperson described a flood that statistically occurs only every 50 years. The federal civil protection agency briefly issued an extreme-flood warning, though water levels subsided overnight. Fire brigades were called out dozens of times in both states, but no major structural damage was reported. Thunderstorms also hit parts of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Festivals and public events disrupted

The Southside music festival near Konstanz, with 60,000 expected visitors, was temporarily suspended due to the severe weather. In Schleswig-Holstein, a festival site was evacuated; 13 people suffered minor injuries. Its sister event, the Hurricane Festival, experienced a thunderstorm without incident. Public viewing for the Germany vs. Ivory Coast World Cup match on Saturday evening is expected to proceed largely unimpeded, though forecasters caution that storms may approach from the west later in the evening.

Adapting to extreme conditions

In Frankfurt, Helene Fischer's concert on 20 June saw adjusted rules because of the heat: doors were pushed to 5:30 p.m., the stadium roof remained closed for shade, free water tetrapaks were distributed, and small non-metallic fans were allowed.

Saarland44

Rhineland-Palatinate38

Baden-Württemberg29

Hesse26

Germany average19

Saarland

44 days

Rhineland-Palatinate

38 days

Baden-Württemberg

29 days

Hesse

26 days

Germany average

19 days

Data from the article text

A heat atlas by the energy service provider Techem, using cooling degree days, identified the hottest municipalities in 2025; they cluster in the southwest. Saarland led the state ranking with about 44 cooling degree days, versus a national average of around 19. Frankfurt, Mannheim, Heidelberg and Speyer all rank among the ten most heat-stressed cities.