Overview
- By the end of September the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) had confirmed 31 tornadoes nationwide, well below the long-term German average of 49 per year.
- Seventeen of the 31 tornadoes occurred on a single day, 19 August, creating an unusually concentrated outbreak within an otherwise quiet season.
- The 2026 events were unevenly spread across states, with Niedersachsen recording nine tornadoes and Hessen eight while several federal states reported none.
- DWD experts, including Marcus Beyer, say the shortfall reflects a lack of the specific weather setups that produce twisters and note that past low-tornado years often coincide with pronounced drought.
- Notable single events this year included waterspouts near Borkum and the Bodensee and a July thunderstorm near Cuxhaven that produced three tornadoes, and officials warn that lower annual totals do not rule out sudden, high-impact days.