After record heat, Germany prepares for severe storms and flooding

Record-breaking heat

Germany experienced its hottest weekend on record just days before the storms hit. On Friday, 26 June, the country set an all‑time high of 41.3 °C; that mark was surpassed on Saturday with 41.5 °C, and Sunday brought a third consecutive daily record. The extreme heat was part of a June that the German Weather Service (DWD) now ranks as the second‑warmest since measurements began, with a provisional national average of 19.5 °C – only the June of 2019, at 19.8 °C, was warmer.

Severe weather warnings

As the heatwave broke, the DWD issued urgent warnings of a shift to violent storms. Meteorologist Adrian Leyser Sturm of the DWD’s forecast centre said the situation would worsen overnight.

“It will get really turbulent during the night. Then there is a high risk of severe weather, especially in Baden‑Württemberg, Bavaria, Thuringia and Saxony, primarily from torrential rain.”

Rainfall could reach 30 to 50 litres per square metre, with localised extremes of up to 80 litres – amounts that, within a few hours, represent one to two times the usual monthly total. The DWD warned of flash flooding, flooded cellars, high water on small streams and rivers, landslides, and a risk of aquaplaning.

“That corresponds to one to two times the usual monthly rainfall within a few hours.”

Monday night’s first wave

The storm system began to deliver on Monday evening. In Munich, the thunderstorm struck at around 20:00 with lightning, thunder, heavy rain and hail. Within minutes streets turned into streams and temperatures – still above 26 °C – plunged. The airport was spared a direct hit, but flight delays and cancellations mounted as air traffic control reduced operations across the affected regions. Across Bavaria, the lightning‑detection service Aldis/Blids recorded 2,577 cloud‑to‑ground strikes on Monday, the highest one‑day total of the year.

Broad impacts and emergency response

By Tuesday night the DWD warned of an “intensification” of the thunderstorm activity, with the unsettled weather spreading east‑ and northeastwards. In the district of Schwandorf, more than 400 emergency personnel from the fire brigade, technical relief agency and rescue services were called out to pump flooded cellars and clear flooded underpasses. In the Munich district, the fire brigade responded to around 150 incidents – mainly water in cellars and fallen branches or trees. No injuries or major traffic accidents were reported.

Climate and adaptation

Amid the extreme weather, environmental researcher Ana Maria Vicedo Cabrera urged Germans to rethink their behaviour during heatwaves.

“In this country, it is still common for people to spend more time outdoors when it’s sunny and warm. But now outdoor temperatures are no longer healthy.”

She called for a cultural shift towards staying inside during the hottest hours, as is common in southern European countries.