Thunderstorms batter Poland with hail and floods; over 1,000 firefighter interventions reported

Nationwide storm onslaught

Severe thunderstorms, fuelled by a clash of tropical air and a cold front, moved across Poland on Sunday 21 June. By 17:00, the State Fire Service had already recorded 1,010 weather-related interventions, following nearly 900 callouts the previous day. The bulk of Sunday's work fell in Wielkopolska (262 interventions), Zachodniopomorskie (158), and Małopolska (91).

“Over one quarter of Sunday's interventions took place in Wielkopolska province.”

Banie school damaged

One of the most dramatic incidents occurred in the village of Banie (Gryfino county, Zachodniopomorskie), where a large tree collapsed onto a school building. The impact damaged the roof and an exterior wall.

“A tree fell onto the school building. As a result, the roof and wall were damaged. Nobody was injured in the incident.”

Fire crews across the country dealt mainly with fallen trees and branches, blocked roads, and flooded basements. In Dobczyce (Małopolskie), a morning downpour submerged streets and cellars, prompting an extended fire-service operation.

Warnings extended to Monday

The Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW) kept level 2 thunderstorm warnings in force for 15 of Poland's 16 voivodeships until Monday morning. Only Śląskie, eastern parts of Małopolskie, and the Strzelce county in Opolskie were under the slightly lower level 1 alert. Forecasters predicted rainfall totals of 25–40 mm, locally up to 40–50 mm, wind gusts of 70–90 km/h (reaching 100 km/h in supercell storms), and hail exceeding 2–3 cm in diameter. At the same time, level 2 heat warnings continued for central and western regions, where temperatures hovered around 30°C, before expiring on Sunday evening.

“Possible flooding and power outages. Avoid open spaces.”

IMGW also issued level 1 hydrological warnings for rapid water level rises across a central belt stretching from Pomerania to Małopolska. The RCB nationwide text alert urged residents to stay indoors and follow weather updates.

Regional toll: Pomerania

In the Pomeranian voivodeship alone, firefighters attended 136 weather-related incidents between 08:00 and 18:00. The heaviest impact was in Kartuzy county (40 callouts), followed by Bytów (31) and Gdańsk (29). Thunderstorms with intense rain and hail were expected to persist overnight into Monday, before a gradual improvement from the north and west.

“Today, from 8:00, we have recorded 136 weather-related incidents in the Pomeranian voivodeship. Firefighters are most active in the counties of Gdańsk, Bytów, and Kartuzy.”

Meteorologists stressed that the convergence line would keep pushing warm, moist air aloft, prolonging thunderstorm development well into Monday morning. The cold front moving in from the Atlantic was expected to eventually stabilise the atmosphere, but further heavy downpours (15–30 l/m², locally 40–50 l/m²) were likely before the warnings lifted.