Overview
- The Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) warned Wednesday evening of severe thunderstorms in the far west of Germany with heavy rain, hail, and storm gusts.
- Storms are forecast to shift east overnight into central states such as Rheinland-Pfalz and Sachsen, with southern areas and the Alpine edge also at risk.
- Temperatures are expected to fall below 30°C on Thursday with windier, stormy conditions in higher terrain and unsettled weather through Friday.
- Short-range model runs issued on August 19 show a big split: the German ICON model calculates notably higher totals (examples include about 17 l/m² on Monday and 24 l/m² on Thursday and possible three-digit weekly sums in spots) while the ECMWF model projects much lower amounts.
- Meteorologists stress that convective heavy rain is highly localized and typically becomes predictable only one to two days ahead, so residents should follow updated DWD warnings and model runs because heavier rain could both relieve drought and cause local flooding.