Violent storms over Bavaria: emergency services fight against natural forces

Violent storms over Bavaria: emergency services fight against natural forces

On June 20, 2025, there were some severe storms in Bavaria, which kept the emergency services busy. Heavy rain and squalls led to around 200 deployments by fire departments and police, especially in regions such as northern Upper Bavaria, Lower Bavaria, Upper Palatinate and Swabia tz.de. With these storms, Sunday morning was particularly dramatic when storm clouds moved over Lake Pfraundorf in the Altmühltal. Bathers who were unable to escape in time suddenly found themselves in the heavy rain with towels and belongings.

The situation came to a head in the Neu-Ulm district, where heavy rain flooded streets and buildings. In the evening, a storm front formed near Babenhausen in the Unterallgäu district. A Rewe supermarket in Helmbrechts was also not spared from the flood, reports br.de.

Operations and damage

The most important missions revolved around broken trees and flooded cellars. In Swabia, the emergency services recorded around 70 missions. Particularly sensational was the incident in which a Ryanair passenger plane had to make an unscheduled landing in Memmingen due to the storm. Nine people, including a two-year-old child, suffered minor injuries. Another notable incident occurred in Leipheim, where a shrapnel grenade from the First World War was discovered during cleanup work and handed over for disposal.

In Ulm, several houses in the Donaustetten district were damaged by the squalls; The fire department suspected a “small wind storm”. A cyclist in Manching also had bad luck and injured himself on a fallen tree. There was also one minor injury due to aquaplaning on Autobahn 8, while the German national soccer team's Nations League semi-final against Portugal had to be postponed by ten minutes because hail made the playing surface unplayable.

Climate change and extreme weather

These extreme weather events are not a coincidence, but clearly reflect the effects of climate change. According to the German Weather Service (DWD), there has been a clear increase in extreme weather phenomena such as heat waves and a decrease in severe frosts, as summarized in a report. The scientists come to the conclusion that the probability of heavy rain events is influenced by climate change and that new temperature records are becoming increasingly likely, as can be read on the DWD website dwd.de.

The profound changes in the climate represent not only a challenge, but also a call to raise awareness and take preventive measures. The events of the last few days are therefore not worrying, but rather give us reason to rethink and take action to minimize future damage.