Miserable weather looms for the weekend - Germany's news in English

Published: 29 Jul 11 14:05 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20110729-36623.html

After heavy rains caused havoc in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) in recent days, it was northeastern Germany?s turn for drenching on Friday, with downpours hammering Berlin and coastal areas.

The part of the country northeast of the Elbe River can expect heavy downpours until at least Saturday and probably right through the weekend, the German Weather Service (DWD) reported Friday. The DWD issued storm warnings for the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

The warning came after the Ruhr Valley area and much of NRW was hit by heavy rain and storms on Wednesday night and Thursday, with the city of Essen particularly affected. The centre of Essen had up to 40 litres of rain per square metre (nearly two inches) in a short period, causing residential cellars and even an underground train station to flood.

?That?s half of what normally falls in the whole of July,? DWD meteorologist Karl-Heinz Nottrodt said.

Nor is the outlook for the weekend much more promising. The northeast was already suffering heavy downpours Friday. While the rest of the country would mostly be spared the heavy rain, low-pressure system Quentin, which is sitting over the Baltic Sea and causing the downpours in the northeast, would also ensure a none-too-summery weekend all round.

Click here for The Local's weather forecast.
Quentin was bringing moist, cool air to much of the country, the DWD said. Temperatures over the weekend would be generally well below the 20-degree Celsius mark, though the southwest and northeast ? despite the rain ? could get up to 22 degrees.

Monday would bring a ?brief summer,? with plenty of sunshine and warmer temperatures of about 25 degrees, especially in the southwest. Tuesday would be the pick of next week, with highs ranging from 24 to 29 degrees and plenty of sunshine right across the country.

While parts of the country should enjoy reasonable weather for much of next week, with temperatures staying at 25 degrees or more until Friday, storms would start to move up from the southwest as early as Wednesday and spread across the country by the end of the week.

And the good news? There isn?t any, said DWD meteorologist Andreas Friedrich.

?A look at the meteorological crystal ball, meaning predictions for the next four weeks, offers nothing good for anyone who still hopes for steady and warm summer weather," he said. "For the period to the end of August, we can only infer trends but, well, this shows the arrow regarding temperatures pointing further downward.

?The hope remains that such conclusions only offer a probability rate of about 60 percent and that there can still be a summer period even in September with temperatures of more than 25 degrees.?

The Local/djw

Source: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20110729-36623.html

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