Tornado warnings issued as heat wave continues

The German Weather Service (DWD) on Wednesday issued a tornado warning for northern and western Germany, as severe storms cling to the tail of the heat wave moving across the country.

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The DWD said late afternoon could bring wild weather similar to what battered the north and west on Monday, killing three people and causing tens of millions of euros in damage.

Temperatures, meanwhile, will continue to climb across the country, with highs of 36 degrees Celsius forecast for parts of the east and southwest. Indeed, the heat wave is likely to continue and make July the hottest month in 110 years, the DWD said.

On Wednesday, a storm front approaching from France would bring heavy rain, hail and gales to the region west of the Rhine by late afternoon. Isolated tornadoes could develop in the west and northwest, DWD meteorologist Andreas Friedrich said.

The storms would gradually lose their intensity overnight as they moved east across the country. That will make for a sweaty night in the east, where overnight lows will remain around 23 degrees, compared with a more comfortable 16 degrees to the west.

Thursday will bring sunshine to most of the country, with only some isolated showers and occasional storms in the east and southeast as the storm front passes through in the morning. High temperatures will range from 25 degrees in the northwest to 32 degrees in the eastern state of Brandenburg.

On the whole, however, the heat wave is set to continue for at least 10 more days.

“If you look at today’s computer forecast, all signs point to a continuation of the current heat wave,” Friedrich said. “When it does become cooler for while, as for example on Thursday or Sunday, temperatures will reach between 25 and 30 degrees.

“On other days, temperatures will, for most part, rise clearly above 30 degrees. Widespread high temperatures below 25 degrees are not to be expected before the weekend after next.”

That would leave only the last six days of the month with much chance of cooler conditions, meaning there was a strong chance July would be the hottest month in Germany in over a century.

Click here for The Local's weather forecast.