Heat wave in BW comes to an end

Officially, no heat record has been reached in Baden-Württemberg in the past few days – but it feels like it has. Storms are now threatening and the temperatures are going down a bit.

Baden-Württemberg had to contend with high temperatures in the past few days, values ​​of around 40 degrees were measured. Now something “cooling down” is to be expected. A cold front will pull through from the northwest on Friday, bringing gusty winds with it. For Saturday, the German Weather Service predicts significantly cooler temperatures of 27 degrees than in the previous days.

DWD issues severe weather warning until Friday night

The German Weather Service issued a storm warning of severe thunderstorms until 1 a.m. on Friday night. The administrative districts of Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Freiburg and Tübingen are affected. In the evening and into the first half of the night there can be severe thunderstorms with heavy rain of up to 40 liters per square meter in one hour, hail of around two centimeters and heavy gusts of wind up to 100 kilometers per hour. In the Ravensburg district and parts of the Sigmaringen and Biberach districts, warnings have been issued of extremely heavy rain with up to 50 liters per square meter in one hour. There is also a risk of lightning strikes. Local flooding and significant traffic obstructions are to be expected.

Heat affects agriculture

The persistent heat is also making harvesting difficult this year. For example, the tobacco farmers in southern Baden suffer from the high temperatures and severe drought. “The stocks had developed well, but now the plants are already drying out in the field,” said the chairman of the state association of Baden-Württemberg tobacco growers, Jochen Adam from Neuried (Ortenaukreis).

Field fire near Karlsruhe

Heat and severe drought are also causing problems for the fire brigade. In Ettlingen (Karlsruhe district) a grain field on the A5 burned down on Thursday. The fire brigade was busy for several hours with the extinguishing work. The fire spread to a total area of ​​20 hectares. The flames also set fire to an embankment on the A5. Due to the smoke development, visibility was repeatedly restricted on the freeway. The adjacent federal road B3 had to be closed for the extinguishing work. Residents have also been asked to keep windows and doors closed.

Consequences of heat for wheelchair users

Not only in rural areas, but also in big cities, people are struggling with the consequences of the extreme heat of the past few days. In Karlsruhe, for example, wheelchair users and those with walking disabilities face problems because the elevators to the subway are sometimes at a standstill. Reason here too: the technology cannot cope with the heat. According to the transport company, some elevators have to be switched off for safety reasons.

No temperature record broken in Baden-Württemberg

In Waghäusel (Karlsruhe district) the highest value in the country was measured on Thursday afternoon at 37.9 degrees. However, values ​​around 40 degrees were measured in Bad Mergentheim in 2015 and in Karlsruhe and Freiburg in 2003. A provisional high of 40.3 degrees from Bad Mergentheim, initially reported by the German Weather Service on July 21, was not confirmed afterwards.

Rainfall is not enough

According to SWR weather expert Andreas Machalica, it is not possible to predict exactly where it will rain in Baden-Württemberg. The region around Upper Swabia in the south-east of Baden-Württemberg has the greatest chance of precipitation. Another big problem: The rare rain often falls too heavily and runs off the surface of the soil. In an interview with SWR1 presenter Petra Klein, the weather expert then predicts complete dryness for the next week:

Current weather forecast for BW

Here is an overview of the temperatures in your region. Here you can also find out where it stays hot the longest in Baden-Württemberg.

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