Storm Luise injures two in Nastätten, snarls German rail as storm Manja approaches

Scaffold collapse in Nastätten

The first strong autumn storm of the year, Luise (called Austen internationally), swept across parts of Germany on Friday, 23 October, with most of the damage in the west and southwest. In Nastätten in the Rhein-Lahn district of Rhineland-Palatinate, a gust toppled a scaffold in the afternoon while an October market was taking place nearby. Police said two people were seriously injured, and one of them was in mortal danger and was flown to a clinic by helicopter. A police spokesman said the scaffold had probably been blown over by a strong gust, and it remained unclear whether anyone had been on it. According to the spokesman, the injured could have been visitors to the market, and rescue teams sealed off the site.

In the Offenbach district of Hesse, a cyclist was hit by a broken branch on a forest path and had to be freed by the fire brigade. In Lebach in Saarland, a pedestrian was slightly injured by a falling advertising sign. Police in Saarbrücken counted 59 storm-related operations across the state from midday until the evening.

Rail disruption across the west

At Karlsruhe main station an object flew into the overhead line on platform 2, and travellers reported a massive flash of sparks. Traffic at the station was halted completely for a time, and the line was switched off and checked by experts before all tracks were cleared again. Near Pforzheim, on the northern edge of the Black Forest, a regional train carrying hundreds of passengers was hit by a branch and stopped on the line, with no injuries reported. Near Aachen, an ICE with 280 passengers on board stopped after damage to the overhead line and was towed by a diesel locomotive to Stolberg station. Fallen trees also blocked tracks near Neuss and in Stuttgart, and the Europa-Park in Rust temporarily closed its large outdoor roller coasters. In Mönchengladbach, RE4 and RB33 services between Rheydt and Geilenkirchen were disrupted by a tree that fell near the track. As of 19:20 on Friday, 23 October, the operator had no fixed plan for the RE4 and was arranging ad hoc measures and replacement buses.

Damage in cities and the outlook

In Duisburg, gusts brought down trees across the whole city, and one tree fell onto a kiosk. Fire crews counted about 40 storm-damage operations there, and according to information so far, no injuries were reported. A car drove into a fallen tree, and on the A1 a large tree struck a noise barrier, which led to a temporary closure in the direction of Cologne. The German Weather Service (DWD) expects Luise to move off toward the Baltic Sea and Denmark during Saturday, 24 October, with winds easing during the day, although coastal gusts remain possible. From the evening of Saturday, 24 October, storm Manja approaches from the west, and during the night to Sunday, 25 October, heavy rain and a strongly freshening southwesterly wind are expected. DWD meteorologist Thore Hansen said the night to Saturday would be windy to stormy, mainly in the north and centre. The DWD forecasts gusts up to 85 km/h in the highlands and on the North Sea for Saturday, with the Brocken in the Harz possibly seeing more, while earlier forecasts had mentioned gusts up to 120 km/h. Another forecast cited gusts of up to 100 km/h in places on Sunday, 25 October.