The German Weather Service (DWD) has issued warnings for potentially heavy thunderstorms and localized torrential rain impacting areas in western Germany.
The warnings, issued on Monday from Offenbach, primarily affect portions of Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia. The DWD cautions that this weather system could lead to flooding of basements and roads, rising water levels in streams and small rivers, inundation of roadways, mudslides and localized lightning damage.
Current warnings are in effect from Tuesday night at 2 AM until Tuesday afternoon. Officials state that the warnings may be extended or expanded to additional regions as the situation develops.
The initial impact stems from an extension of the low-pressure system “Walter” bringing warm, moist air across western and southwestern Germany. While isolated strong thunderstorms with localized torrential rain occurred during Monday afternoon and evening, the threat intensifies overnight with the arrival of potentially stormy rainfall moving in from France. The DWD anticipates that between 35 and 60 liters of rain per square meter could fall within a few hours, with some locations potentially experiencing significantly higher accumulations. By Tuesday midday, the rain is forecast to gradually diminish and move northwestward.