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Thunderstorm chaos in southern Hesse: heavy rain and squalls lead to emergencies!
A violent thunderstorm with heavy rain devastates Darmstadt. Fire brigade in constant use, damage in several cities. Follow behavioral tips!
Thunderstorm chaos in southern Hesse: heavy rain and squalls lead to emergencies!
A violent storm kept southern Hesse in suspense on Saturday evening, October 4th, 2025. Between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., heavy rain, gusts of wind and even hail caused numerous fire brigade operations. The cities and communities around Darmstadt, Mörfelden, Fischbachtal-Meßbach, as well as Michelstadt, Oberzent-Rothenberg, Reichelsheim, Mühltal and the area around the famous Frankenstein Castle were particularly affected. Reports from metropoljournal.com show that The emergency services were busy until late into the night.
The storm front that originated from “Deep Henry” not only brought a significant deterioration in the weather, but also led to real difficulties in several counties. Damage was recorded, among other things, in the form of fallen trees, loose roof tiles in Lampertheim-Hofheim and large branches that fell on parked vehicles in Heppenheim. In addition, construction fences fell down in Stockstadt am Rhein and Bad König. Road users had to prepare for disruptions, especially on the B47, where hailstorms caused briefly slippery roads, although no accidents occurred.
Emergency services campaigns
The fire brigade was not only active in southern Hesse. In several cities, including Lich in the Gießen district, a tree fell on a car, causing minor injuries to two young men. Eleven municipalities in the Lahn-Dill district were also affected by the storms, which resulted in over 90 fire brigade operations. The regional train from Wetzlar to Weilburg had to stop due to trees on the tracks, while in Frankfurt lightning struck a roof structure, but fortunately no injuries were reported. According to hessenschau.de there was even a Thai food festival in Darmstadt where two people were thrown by flying tents suffered injuries.
Despite the large number of missions and the damage caused, most of the injuries were minor. No serious injuries were reported in southern Hesse, which is certainly a small ray of hope in this situation. The clean-up work was quickly started by the police and local emergency teams in order to reopen the traffic routes.
Weather extremes in Hesse
The storm is part of a larger weather system that is currently moving over Germany. Heavy rain and high wind speeds of up to 101 km/h in Gießen/Wettenberg and 94 km/h at Hoherodskopf are no longer uncommon. These extreme weather conditions, as documented on the climate portal, seem to be occurring more and more frequently and pose new challenges for both residents and emergency services.
It remains to be hoped that the coming days will be calm and that the affected communities can learn from the experiences of the last few hours. In the current situation, experts advise exercising caution during the next storm, for example by not parking vehicles under trees and securing loose objects.