Heavy thunderstorms threaten to spoil early weekend plans across southern Germany

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

August 17,2016; 5:40PM,EDT

 

 

After Friday features mostly dry weather across Germany, the risk of heavy thunderstorms will return to southern areas early in the weekend.
Nothing more than a stray shower or thunderstorm will dot southern and western Germany on Friday. It will be warm day otherwise with highs ranging from 24-27 C (76-81 F).
Highs around 22 C (70-74 F) will keep Hamburg and vicinity seasonable.
Changes are on the way for this weekend as a cold front swings through Germany.

The front will trigger showers and thunderstorms across southern and eastern parts of the country on Saturday.
From Konstanz and Munich to Dresden, AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys is concerned for the thunderstorms to turn heavy and gusty in the afternoon and evening.
"The strongest thunderstorms will be capable of producing flash flooding, damaging winds and hail," Roys said.
Anyone with outdoor plans during the first half of the weekend should monitor AccuWeather MinuteCast® and seek shelter in advance of impending thunderstorms.
Any thunderstorm will produce lightning regardless of its severity. In the absence of flooding, downpours will raise the risk of vehicles hydroplaning when traveling at highway speeds.
The heaviest thunderstorms are likely to narrowly bypass Rothenburg.
Thunderstorms and downpours will threaten to put a damper on Weindorf, the annual wine festival.
The thunderstorms and passage of the cold front will gradually trim Friday's warmth.
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Highs on Saturday will be held to 21-24 C (70-76 F) from Bremen to Frankfurt to Stuttgart. Light showers will dampen northwestern Germany but should last only about 15-30 minutes at a time.
The cooler air will sweep across the entire country on Sunday. Highs will average 19-24 C (67-75 F).
Showers could interfere with outdoor activities across Germany. The showers will be most numerous in northwestern areas with rumbles of thunder possible toward the North Sea.
Saturday will not mark the last round of heavy thunderstorms threatening Germany.
The official 2016 AccuWeather autumn forecast calls for several stretches of prolonged warmth in September that could fuel locally damaging thunderstorms and flash flooding.