Storm in Germany seriously injures two people; Manja expected on Sunday — Der Spiegel
In Germany, the first powerful autumn storm, "Luisa," injured people and significantly disrupted train services on Friday. As Der Spiegel reports, the western and southwestern regions of the country were hit hardest. The arrival of a new storm cyclone, "Manja," is expected on Sunday and will likely affect the North Sea coast and islands the most.
Injuries and rail disruptions
In the town of Nastätten in Rhineland-Palatinate, a gust of wind toppled a structure near an October fair on Friday afternoon. According to police, two people suffered serious injuries. One of the victims was in life-threatening condition and was taken to hospital by helicopter.
In Seligenstadt in Hesse, a broken branch struck a cyclist, who was later freed by rescuers. In the town of Lebach in Saarland, a pedestrian sustained minor injuries because of an advertising sign.
The storm also disrupted rail services. At Karlsruhe Central Station, an object came into contact with the overhead line, and passengers reported strong sparking. Near Pforzheim, a regional train carrying hundreds of passengers collided with a branch and stopped on the tracks.
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Near Aachen, an ICE high-speed train with 280 passengers stopped because of damage to the overhead line. It was towed by a diesel locomotive to Stolberg station. Fallen trees also blocked tracks near Neuss and Stuttgart.
Warnings for Sunday
According to the forecast by the German Weather Service, "Luisa" will move toward the Baltic Sea and Denmark on Saturday, although storm gusts are still possible along the coast. In the evening, cyclone "Manja" will begin arriving from the west, bringing heavy rain and strengthening southwesterly winds.
By Sunday morning, some regions may receive precipitation volumes typical of dangerous weather events. On Sunday, windy or stormy weather is expected across the country except in the southeast. Gusts of up to 100 kilometres per hour and isolated hurricane-force gusts are forecast on the North Sea and on Mount Feldberg in the Black Forest. In Hamburg, a storm surge that could flood the lower part of the Fish Market is not ruled out.
High-speed ferries to the island of Heligoland will not operate over the weekend, while ferries to the Halligen will not run on Sunday and Monday. In Cologne and Aachen, residents were advised to avoid forests, parks, cemeteries and tree-lined avenues, while cemeteries in Erfurt were closed for the entire weekend.
