HANNIBAL HANSCHKE (EFE)
The capital of Germany experienced a brief storm on Monday, but of an intensity that baffled the firefighters. The sky darkened over Berlin at 7:30 p.m. and heavy rain swept through the capital and parts of Brandenburg, with winds of up to 110 kilometers per hour. The fire brigade declared a state of meteorological emergency until one in the morning this Tuesday and participated in 391 rescue operations. The situation has calmed down this Tuesday.
The fury of the storm caused chaos in the German capital, causing the derailment of the S-Bahn (intercity train) after it ran over a fallen branch. Several passengers had to be evacuated to a safe place through emergency stairs.
The effect of the rain was added to that of the wind. Several tree branches broke due to the strong gusts registered throughout the city. In some cases, entire trees were uprooted, as occurred in the Volkspark Friedrichshain, a large park in the center of the capital. The huge Tiergarten park also suffered from the storm, with numerous trees giving way from the force of the extreme wind.
Despite the extraordinary nature of the event, no deaths were reported, although five people did suffer injuries (three in Berlin and two in Brandenburg). Two of them were damaged when a branch fell at a bus stop in Berlin-Charlottenburg. According to the fire department, both people were taken to a hospital Monday night for treatment.
The fury of the storm, however, has not overly alarmed meteorologists like Dominik Jung, who works in the service. wetter.Net. “It was a strong storm. This happens sometimes in Berlin. It was accompanied by heavy rains and storms, as well as gusts with the force of a hurricane,” the expert explained to this newspaper. “The cause was a cold front that came into Berlin after a very hot day,” he adds.
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“It is true, it was a very violent storm, but it was not the first time that this has happened in Berlin and it will not be the last either,” explained Mathias Rudolf, of the Potsdam Weather Service. “This happens two or three times a year and its origin has to do with high temperatures,” he continued.
Heavy rains have increased in Berlin in recent years and the city experienced a veritable deluge on June 29, 2017. In 18 hours it rained as much as a quarter of a standard year. 2.8 million cubic meters of rainwater, mixed with sewage, rushed through Berlin’s combined sewage system. Wastewater treatment plants received double the volume than usual.
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