humid hot air makes the people in North Rhine-Westphalia in the coming days to sweat despite short-term cooling by partially severe Thunderstorms. The German weather service (DWD) extended on Tuesday its warning about extreme heat in the Western part of the country until Wednesday evening. This means that the so-called perceived temperature can lie there during the day, still about 38 degrees. The DWD is of a very high health risk. It was the first Time this summer that such a heat alert was issued, the highest level in NRW.
The actual maximum temperatures on Tuesday afternoon on the lower Rhine at 36 degrees or more. The front-runner in NRW was Tönisvorst until the afternoon once more, where to 36.7 degrees were measured.
in some places there were heavy Thunderstorms with plenty of rain and strong Wind. According to DWD data, the Thunderstorms moved in for the lunch hours from the Sauerland region, through the southern Ruhr area and further in the direction of the lower Rhine.
Radar images of the DWD showed in Bochum rain amounts of more than 40 litres per square metre, as a meteorologist Ines Wiegand said. The fire brigade in Bochum was one of the 30 missions. In many Places, trees fell on roads, some vehicles were damaged. The heavy rain flooded the basement and living spaces. In Aachen, there was a violent heat-storm. The fire Department was one of inserts, according to a report from the “Aachener Zeitung” until the afternoon 35. In Moers the fire Department also reported flooded streets, flooded basements and fallen trees.
North Rhine-Westphalia’s environment Minister, Ursula Heinen-Esser (CDU) warned on Tuesday with the haunting words, of the danger of forest fires. “A little carelessness can lead to disaster,” she said in Düsseldorf. It was important that “really all the” forest visitors kept to the rules. The vast majority of forest fires have human causes. “Therefore, now is important: No Smoking and no open fire in the forest. Please keep in addition, forest access roads strictly for emergency vehicles,“ said the head of the country of operation, the forest and wood NRW and Andreas Wiebe.
The number of days with high or very high risk of forest fires have doubled in the last few decades, so the Ministry continues. “In the period 1961-1990, there was an average of ten days per year with high or very high forest fire danger. 1990-2019 it were 20.“ In the current year 39 fires had been registered, with a surface area of approximately 43 hectares. For comparison: last year the forest fire statistics in NRW had collected 94 forest fires in which a total of 27.3 hectares of forest were destroyed.
According to the German Federal environmental Agency especially people aged 65 and over and care for vulnerable people in need of heat strong. “The risk increases with age, because the ability of the body decreases to the self-cooling through sweating,” it says in the brochure “heat Knigge”. The experts advise not to drink only when thirsty, but every hour a glass of water. Be recommended about tap water, bottled water, chilled herbal tea, or tea. Ice cold drinks as well as coffee, heavily sugared and alcoholic beverages should be avoided.
dpa
