A short but violent storm with heavy rain and gusty winds in Berlin on Monday evening caused trees in particular to snap and slowed down the S-Bahn traffic. Many traffic lights failed on the streets, according to the traffic information center.
The fire brigade was in a “state of emergency weather”, as announced on Twitter. So far, 358 emergency calls have been received, it said around 10:15 p.m. It is expected that the weather-related operations will continue throughout the night. All of the capital’s volunteer fire brigades were called into service.
In most cases, it is about snapped or fallen trees, said a spokesman. In Marienfelde parts of the roof of a warehouse were missing, in Prenzlauer Berg parts of a tree fell on the overhead line of the tram. The assignments would be processed according to priorities.
The Twitter account of the S-Bahn said around 8 p.m.: “Due to weather-related influences in the entire S-Bahn network, there are delays and cancellations on all lines.” Train services were disrupted on several routes.
The German Weather Service (DWD) had warned of the risk of severe thunderstorms in the evening. It went on to say: “Among other things, widespread serious damage to buildings is possible. Trees can be uprooted and roof tiles, branches or objects can fall.” Flooding of cellars and streets as well as local flooding of streams and small rivers are also possible.
The fire brigade spokesman reported that there were hardly any operations due to flooding. The traffic information center said: “A warning against aquaplaning due to heavy rain was issued for the entire A100 city motorway and for the A115 in the Potsdam area!”
