Thunderstorm causes 15 earth lightning strikes in the Donau-Ries district!

Thunderstorm causes 15 earth lightning strikes in the Donau-Ries district!

Last Thursday evening, a violent thunderstorm front passed over the Donau-Ries district. How Augsburger Allgemeine reported that meteorologists registered an impressive 15 earth lightning strikes in the region, including huge impacts that caused quite a shock.

The thunderstorm began shortly after 8 p.m., and at 8:12 p.m. lightning with a strength of 90 kiloamperes struck an apartment building in Riedlingen, broke through the roof and caused tens of thousands of euros in property damage. Fortunately, the residents were uninjured and there was no fire.

In the following minutes, further lightning strikes followed in the surrounding area. Two lightning strikes struck Donauwörther Parkstadt at 8:13 p.m. and 8:18 p.m. Impacts also occurred in other parts of the region:

Lightning statistics and strikes at a glance

• 20.39 Uhr: 19 Kiloampere östlich von Nußbühl.
• 21.06 Uhr: 5 Kiloampere in Buchdorf.
• 21.08 Uhr: 20 Kiloampere nordwestlich von Gansheim.
• 21.15 Uhr: 19 Kiloampere westlich von Tagmersheim.
• 21.30 Uhr: 16 Kiloampere südlich von Reichertswies.
• 21.37 Uhr: 29 Kiloampere am östlichen Ortsrand von Flotzheim.
• 21.44 Uhr: 28 Kiloampere nahe der Herbermühle.
• 21.56 Uhr: 71 Kiloampere südlich von Rögling.
• 22.25 Uhr: 73 Kiloampere auf dem Uhlberg bei Rothenberg.
• 22.40 Uhr: 64 Kiloampere östlich von Bayerdilling.
• Letzter Blitz um 22.40 Uhr: 21 Kiloampere westlich von Brachstadt und Oppertshofen.

Apart from the damage in Riedlingen, fortunately no other serious incidents are known. However, District Fire Commissioner Heinz Mayr made it clear that people should be on the safe side during thunderstorms and recommended staying indoors in strong weather.

Lightning measurements and dangers

In addition to reporting on the events, the site provides Lightning detection an exciting opportunity to follow the lightning activity live and obtain further information. The flash rate is constantly updated here, so you are always up to date. Constantly looking at blitz stats, updated every two minutes, has become more important lately. Currently the current flash rate is 27.8 flashes per minute.

For the Donau-Ries region, this evening of thunderstorms was an impressive spectacle and a haunting reminder of the powers of nature. One would like to hope that the coming thunderstorms will be less devastating and that all residents can get through the storm periods safely.

Further statistics and locations about lightning events in Germany and other countries can be found on the platform Lightning maps be retrieved. It remains to be seen what the next storm front will bring and where the next lightning strikes will land.