Torrential rain floods Lower Silesia as Polish firefighters handle over 300 storm calls
Overnight downpours exceeded 100 millimetres in parts of south-western Poland, submerging streets in Wrocław, triggering flood alerts along regional rivers, and knocking out power to hundreds of residents.
Torrential rain and regional flooding in Lower Silesia
A frontal weather system moving in from the southwest brought intense downpours across Poland on Friday night, hitting Lower Silesia with the heaviest precipitation. The meteorological station at Mała Kopa recorded 100.8 mm of rainfall, while Kowary recorded over 80 mm and both Karpacz and Jelenia Góra exceeded 70 mm. Rising water levels pushed several regional waterways past their critical thresholds. The Pełcznica river reached alarm status in Świebodzice, and warning levels were exceeded on the Strzegomka in Łażany as well as on the Kamienna and Bóbr rivers in Jelenia Góra. In response to the rapid accumulation of water, municipal authorities in Leśna declared a flood alert and began distributing sandbags to residents.
We already have over 100 mm of precipitation. At the Mała Kopa station, the rainfall total reached 100.8 mm and continues to rise. Heavy precipitation in the region continues, and the situation remains difficult. The risk of local inundation, flooding, and rapid water level rises is growing.
Urban disruption and infrastructure damage in Wrocław
In Wrocław and the surrounding county, emergency crews answered 35 calls during the overnight storm, out of 168 interventions recorded across Lower Silesia. Flooding left multiple city thoroughfares impassable, including Ignuta, Dokerska, Łukowa, and Lotnicza near the Astra shopping centre. The roadway beneath the railway viaduct on Borowska Street flooded repeatedly, remaining closed to vehicular traffic alongside Ignuta and Dokerska as of 06:30 on Saturday morning. Residential properties also sustained water damage, with leaking roofs reported at apartment buildings on Piłsudskiego and Wojanowska streets, accompanied by widespread basement and garage floodings. Regional power infrastructure suffered localized failures, leaving 714 customers without electricity on Saturday morning after an earlier blackout in parts of Jelenia Góra.
- A frontal storm system enters Poland from the southwest, causing roof damage to an outbuilding in Podlasie.
- State Fire Service logs 260 weather-related interventions across the country.
- Nationwide firefighter calls surpass 300 as convective storm cells track toward Mazovia.
- Rainfall reaches 100.8 mm at Mała Kopa as Leśna municipal authorities declare a flood alert.
- Wrocław officials confirm several flooded roads remain impassable following 168 regional emergency calls.
Nationwide emergency response and property damage
Emergency services across Poland mobilized as the storm system tracked northeast toward Mazovia. The State Fire Service recorded 260 weather-related interventions by 21:00 on Friday, with the total exceeding 300 calls by 23:00, according to brigadier Karol Kroć. Beata Wiączek-Jankowska, spokesperson for the Government Centre for Security, stated that operations were concentrated primarily in southern regions, including Silesia and Lesser Poland. In northeastern Poland, strong winds struck the village of Olszynka in Podlasie, where village administrator Marek Gołkowski reported that a storm ripped the roof off an agricultural building housing machinery and brought down nearby trees. Across Podlasie, regional fire brigades handled 20 weather-related calls throughout the day, mainly to clear fallen branches and obstructed roadways.
Meteorological warnings and upcoming conditions
The Institute of Meteorology and Water Management issued severe weather alerts across fifteen regions, prompting text message warnings from the Government Centre for Security. Third-degree warnings for torrential rain and thunderstorms applied to Jelenia Góra as well as Kamienna Góra and Karkonosze counties, forecasting between 60 mm and 80 mm of rain with wind gusts reaching 80 km/h. Second-degree storm alerts covered ten provinces, including Mazowieckie, Łódzkie, and Śląskie, with predicted wind gusts of up to 115 km/h. For Lower Silesia, meteorologists placed a first-degree storm alert in effect for Saturday between 12:00 and 17:00, warning of up to 20 mm of additional rainfall and winds up to 70 km/h before sunny conditions arrive on Sunday.
