Poland: Severe storms bring flash floods, thousands of firefighter interventions

Storm front sweeps across Poland

On the afternoon of 1 July 2026, a line of severe thunderstorms entered southern Poland and moved northeast. The storms brought heavy rainfall, large hail, and wind gusts reaching 115 km/h, according to Poland’s meteorological institute IMGW. The most intense activity was concentrated in the voivodeships of Śląskie, Lubelskie, Świętokrzyskie and Podkarpackie.

1. Jul 1, 02:00 PMStorms begin in southern Silesia, including Szczyrk, Brenna, Wisła, Ustroń, and Bielsko-Biała.
2. Jul 1, 03:30 PMThunderstorms spread across Lubelskie; firefighters receive over 320 calls in the province.
3. Jul 1, 06:00 PMFlash floods hit Puławy and Starachowice; mayor of Puławy reports manhole water and flooded streets.
4. Jul 1, 10:00 PMWeather calms from the west, but storms persist in eastern borderlands until morning.

Impact on the ground

Firefighters across the country responded to around 3,000 callouts related to the storms. In Śląskie alone, 639 interventions were recorded (519 for wind damage and 120 for flooding). In Lubelskie, the fire service handled over 320 incidents, including the removal of 203 fallen trees and securing 46 damaged roofs.

Mainly, firefighters removed broken branches and trees. We had 203 such interventions in our voivodeship.

Flash floods struck the towns of Puławy and Starachowice. In Puławy, Mayor Paweł Maj reported that water burst manholes and flooded streets, while fallen trees blocked roads. Local police in Dęblin noted that trees damaged vehicles and buildings.

In many parts of the city, manholes were bursting, some streets are flooded, and broken trees lie scattered.

Despite the widespread damage, no injuries were reported. Power outages affected about 1,000 customers in the Stalowa Wola and Mielec areas.

Śląskie

639

Lubelskie

320

Other regions

2,041

Śląskie

639 interventions

Lubelskie

320 interventions

Other regions

2041 interventions

Weather warnings and response

The Government Security Centre (RCB) had issued alerts for 11 voivodeships for 1 and 2 July, warning of intense rain, strong wind, and possible power cuts. IMGW raised warnings to the highest, third level for parts of Lubelskie and Mazowieckie. The storms were preceded by a record-breaking heatwave, with temperatures exceeding 35°C in eastern regions, which had triggered separate heat alerts earlier in the week.

Sharp cooldown after record heat

With the passage of the cold front, a dramatic temperature drop is underway. On 1 July, the south-east saw highs up to 37°C; by 2 July, most areas will reach only 21°C to 26°C, with mountain regions dropping to 16°C. The cooling deepens over the weekend, and by early next week, maximum temperatures in the north-east (Podlasie) may fall to just 13°C to 15°C. IMGW forecasts indicate that the temperature could drop by as much as 20 degrees compared with the heatwave peak.

2026-07-01

37

2026-07-02

26

2026-07-03

23

2026-07-06

15

2026-07-01

37 °C

2026-07-02

26 °C

2026-07-03

23 °C

2026-07-06

15 °C

Although the extreme heat has subsided, further spells of summer warmth are probable later in July. Long-range forecasts suggest that average temperatures will often remain above the 1991–2020 norm.

Looking ahead

For Thursday 2 July, isolated thunderstorms remain possible in the south-east, but the severe weather risk has diminished. Winds will continue to be gusty near the coast, reaching 85 km/h. The weather pattern is expected to stabilise over the coming days, with a mix of cloud and showers and day-time highs between 20°C and 24°C.