- A tornado probably caused major damage in Lippstadt and Paderborn in North Rhine-Westphalia late Friday afternoon.
- 30 to 40 people were injured, ten of them seriously.
- According to the fire brigade and police, the urban area of Lippstadt and Paderborn was crossed by a tornado.
Legend:
The spire of the St. Clemens Church in Hellinghausen near Lippstadt was torn away by the storm.
key stone
A tornado pulled a path of devastation from west to east through the middle of the city of Paderborn, the police said. According to a spokesman for the fire brigade, the entire city area was affected. The fire brigade also reported a possible tornado in Lippstadt, about 35 kilometers away, which had caused serious damage.
In the district of Hellinghausen near Lippstadt, the storm fell down the top of the church tower. Around 200 to 300 firefighters are deployed. The task force in the Soest fire brigade district has called for support from other fire brigade corps from the region to Lippstadt, it said in a statement.
A spokesman for the Interior Ministry of North Rhine-Westphalia confirmed that Paderborn and Lippstadt were hit hardest by the storm. Roofs were torn off in both cities. Houses are partly uninhabitable or partly collapsed. Other houses may no longer be entered. Damages in the millions are expected.
According to the DWD, several reports of tornadoes have been received, in addition to Lippstadt from Lüdenscheid and Meschede. Police and fire brigades reported fallen trees, hail damage to cars and flooding of basements. The storm covered roofs and uprooted trees. In Hellinghausen near Lippstadt, the spire of a church was torn away.
In Central Franconia in Bavaria, 14 people, including several children, were injured when a wooden hut collapsed during the storm there. The accident happened on Friday evening in the town of Spalt. According to a police spokeswoman, in view of the storm approaching in Bavaria, several vacationers sought shelter in the approximately 85 square meter hut, which then tipped to the side and collapsed.
Weather calming down on Saturday
All in all, the storm in Middle Franconia triggered almost 400 fire brigade operations – mainly because of flooded basements, uprooted trees and damaged house roofs. Between Neuhaus and Hersbruck the railway line was closed because of trees on the tracks.
The German Weather Service (DWD) issued an initial severe weather warning for the low-pressure area “Emmelinde” early on Friday afternoon. Already in the morning there were warnings of hurricane gusts, hail, heavy rain and isolated tornadoes in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Heavy thunderstorms had already swept across western Germany on Thursday, but the damage was less severe than feared. At times, rail traffic to the Netherlands was also interrupted. Thunderstorms and gusts of wind triggered hundreds of fire brigade operations in Lower Saxony.
According to the German Weather Service (DWD), the thunderstorm should move eastwards towards Poland on Saturday. Before that, there may be gusts of wind.
Windhose moves through Lippstadt and Paderborn
