Storms batter Poland overnight, over 2,600 firefighter interventions; new rain front approaches

Overnight storms cause widespread damage

Severe thunderstorms sweeping across Poland on the night of 1-2 July brought torrential rain, hail, and powerful wind gusts, triggering over 2,600 emergency responses nationwide. Firefighters pumped water from flooded houses, removed fallen trees, and secured torn roofs. Thousands of households lost electricity.

“Last night, firefighters intervened over 2,600 times.”

In Starachowice, the storm struck with sudden fury.

“A storm passed through our city, the effects of which will be removed in the coming hours and days. We have a lot of work ahead, I already sincerely thank all services and those helping those in need.”

Heavy toll across several provinces

Świętokrzyskie province recorded 407 interventions, with 38 roofs damaged or torn off and around 100 buildings or road sections flooded. Water supply interruptions were announced in Starachowice for Thursday and Friday. Nearly 100 scouts were evacuated from four summer camps in the region.

In Podkarpacie, firefighters responded 84 times, mostly in Stalowa Wola, Mielec, and Tarnobrzeg counties; wind damaged 18 roofs. In Stalowa Wola, the storm hit suddenly around 4 p.m., trapping cars in flooded streets and requiring dozens of water pump-outs.

"There was also a roof torn off a residential building," said Piotr Filipek, press officer of the Garwolin fire brigade, part of the more than 100 interventions logged in Mazovia. The Silesia region saw over 700 incidents, the highest single province count.

Rain front to sweep from northwest to east

The Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW) released an ICON 2.5 model animation showing a rain front that will enter Poland from the northwest on Thursday evening. It is set to affect Szczecin, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Gdańsk, and Bydgoszcz before moving east through Warsaw and Olsztyn, reaching the country's far east on Friday. The weather is forecast to improve only by Saturday morning. No new official warnings have been issued yet for this front.

Record heat preceded the storms

Last week, a heatwave brought temperatures above 35°C across Poland. On Sunday, Słubice hit 40.5°C, a new all-time national record, and Toruń reached 40.3°C. IMGW also warns of high forest fire risk resulting from the hot, dry conditions.