Severe storms during the Germany match – public viewing in Dortmund cancelled

Dortmund/Offenbach. The next big European Championship party has fallen victim to the weather in parts of Germany. Heavy storms were brewing for the DFB team’s round of 16 match against Denmark on Saturday evening.

The game in Dortmund was interrupted for around 25 minutes shortly before half-time. Due to the thunderstorm, the public viewings at Friedensplatz and Westfalenpark were cancelled – to protect the fans. “Leave these places. The stewards on site will give you instructions on how to behave, please follow them,” the police wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

At the event in Westfalenpark, 30,800 people had gathered by the time the match kicked off. A further 6,400 fans had come to the fan zone on Friedensplatz. This had already been closed shortly before kick-off due to full capacity.

Public viewing in Gelsenkirchen also ended due to storms

In Gelsenkirchen, too, the public viewing of the European Football Championship in the fan zone and in the amphitheater was canceled. A thunderstorm front passed over the event area at around 9 p.m., the city of Gelsenkirchen announced. Gusts of wind force 9 were measured. Fences were reportedly damaged and posters flew through the air. In view of an official storm warning, the decision was made to end the event. The spectators left the area calmly and, according to initial findings, no one was injured. The organizers are now checking whether the public viewing facilities have been damaged.

“Not only is the game #GERDEN on, the heavy thunderstorms have also found their way to Germany. Please stay alert, follow warnings and seek shelter in good time,” wrote the German Weather Service (DWD) late in the evening on X.

The city of Frankfurt had already taken action on Saturday afternoon and announced that the fan zone would remain closed for the entire Saturday. The Tourismus+Congress GmbH as the organizer and the security authorities had intensively assessed the situation with the German Weather Service in the past few hours. “They have come to the conclusion that the Frankfurt fan zone cannot be operated safely given these forecasts,” it said.

Going to a public viewing is not advisable, said Tobias Reinartz, meteorologist at the DWD in Offenbach on Saturday. “It can be very dangerous if you are outside.”

“It can be very dangerous if you are outside.”

According to the DWD, there were isolated thunderstorms in central Germany during the day, before a pronounced thunderstorm situation developed in the evening. “The focus is in the southwest and then shifts to Hesse and western Thuringia,” said meteorologist Reinartz. “It is definitely advisable to keep an eye on the warning situation and weather developments!” On Wednesday, at the end of the preliminary round, fan zones had to be evacuated due to a severe storm in the evening.

According to the weather service, there is a risk of regional flooding, flooded basements and underpasses, and falling trees. “Although the risk of large hail and gusts of wind up to hurricane force will decrease in the second half of the night, severe heavy rain is still to be expected,” it said.

Already on Thursday, storms had led to numerous fire service operations and traffic disruptions in large parts of Germany. Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Thuringia, North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Hamburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania were affected, among others.

Stuttgart opens fan zone – but keeps an eye on the weather

In Stuttgart, the initial plan was for the fan zone to open as normal. “We are in constant contact with the German Weather Service and hope that we will be spared from bad weather,” said Jörg Klopfer, spokesman for the event company in Stuttgart.

However, according to the DWD, the state capital will not be hit as hard as the west of the country on Saturday. According to a DWD spokesperson, there will be rain and stronger winds in Stuttgart.

In a statement from the organizers it said: “The weather radar shows a storm that may be moving towards Stuttgart. The fan zones are open as planned.” The host city Stuttgart is in close contact with the German Weather Service and will inform about further developments on its website and social media channels.

And what will the weather be like? On Sunday and the following days, the weather will be unsettled with showers and isolated thunderstorms, according to the DWD. “However, significantly cooler air is flowing into the country from the west. On Sunday, maximum temperatures in the west will only be around 20 degrees, and around 30 degrees in the east. In the new week, temperatures will reach around 17 to 23 degrees.

RND/dpa/seb