Violent thunderstorms in North Rhine-Westphalia: Paderborn under water and fire brigade in constant operation!

Violent thunderstorms in North Rhine-Westphalia: Paderborn under water and fire brigade in constant operation!

On the night of Sunday, June 15, 2025, North Rhine-Westphalia was hit by a violent thunderstorm, which led to numerous police and fire service operations. Over 191 operations in Paderborn alone between 7:30 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. are a clear indication of the severity of the storm. The police received more than 400 emergency calls in the first three hours from 7 p.m., but a police spokesman said that fortunately there were no injuries n-tv reported.

The main reasons for the operations were full basements and triggered fire alarm systems. People in difficult situations also had to be rescued. The partial collapse of the roof of a production hall on Eggertstrasse, where the hall roof of the Paderborner Druck Centrum (PDC), a subsidiary of Mediaprint, collapsed, was alarming. The collapse caused damage to the sprinkler system's water pipes and also posed a challenge for the fire department, which then had to pump water out of the building. Fortunately, operations were suspended at the time of the accident, so there were no injuries, says Westfalen-Blatt.

Mass water and damage

The storm clearly left its mark: water entered the Paderborn hospital, which led to restrictions in elevator operation. In addition, the university campus in Paderborn was damaged, with numerous furnishings being destroyed. The Detmold fire department also recorded five missions, including due to fallen trees that blocked traffic routes.

In Bielefeld the weather also caused emergency operations on the A3, while in Gymnich in the Rhein-Erft district the roof of a house caught fire after a lightning strike. Fortunately, there were no injuries here either.

A tornado in the air?

There has been speculation about the possibility of a tornado in Altenbeken, but there has been no confirmation of this from the German Weather Service. Such weather conditions are not unusual in Germany, as the increasing number of extreme weather events in recent years show. Even if the thunderstorms do not always lead to a tornado, the damage they cause is significant.

The current situation is reminiscent of previous severe weather events in Germany, such as during the “Bernd” weather depression in July 2021, which resulted in devastating heavy rain. The lesson from such natural disasters is that no one should underestimate the frequency and intensity of these weather phenomena Mercury determines.

While the clean-up work is now beginning in Paderborn, it remains to be hoped that such extreme weather situations can be better predicted and addressed in the future. The emergency services definitely proved to be well prepared that night and showed an impressive commitment to the safety of citizens.