Hail storm from 16./17. August 1974
The hailstorm of August 17, 1974 was a severe storm that lasted for several hours , causing damage amounting to at least 150 million DM at the time and injuring people. In addition to the Lower Saxony districts of Vechta , Diepholz and Verden and the old district of Bersenbrück , the Chiemsee region in Bavaria , where disaster alarms had to be triggered, were also hardest hit. The storm is considered the starting shot for Bavarian hail flying.
weather condition
After an exceptionally cold summer, humid and warm air was brought to Central Europe from August 14, 1974, between a high above Hungary and a low near the British Isles . On August 16, 1974, a temperature record of 31.3 ° C was achieved at the Arkona weather station , which is still valid today.
On August 16, a thunderstorm low formed over northern France , which slowly moved to the northeast. As a result, the first thunderstorms occurred in the evening hours of August 16, 1974, initially in the Ruhr area and in Westphalia . In northern Germany , the thunderstorm began around 10:00 p.m. and lasted until the early morning hours of August 17th. Up to around 8 a.m. on August 17th, up to five very lightning-intensive thunderstorms accompanied by heavy rain and hail moved one behind the other across northern Germany at a speed of around 70 km / h. The heaviest thunderstorms occurred in the last season of thunderstorms, which crossed the region between about 5 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Hailstones the size of billiard balls fell in them.
Damage
The most serious damage occurred on the Alfhausen / Holdorf (Olb.) / Schwaförden / Kirchlinteln line . Large areas of the roofs of residential buildings, stables, industrial facilities and greenhouses were smashed by the hail. There was severe crop damage from hail. Deciduous trees were also badly damaged. The torrential rainfall that followed the hailstorm meant that large amounts of water could penetrate the buildings through the destroyed roofs.
In numerous regions, such as the Bremen districts of Osterholz , Oberneuland and Sebaldsbrück , there was damage from flooding. Lightning strikes led to widespread power outages and numerous fires. In the district of Vechta alone there were four major fires caused by lightning strikes between 10 p.m. on August 16 and 6 a.m. on August 17, 1974. Serious damage occurred in the waterworks in Großenkneten . There, three transformers were completely destroyed by lightning .
In Hamburg window panes were destroyed by the pressure fluctuations caused by thunderbolts. There, too, major fires were caused by lightning strikes .
In Upper Bavaria , thunderstorms accompanied by severe hailstorms caused severe damage in the region between Murnau and Lake Chiemsee .
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Münchener Rückversicherungs-Gesellschaft (1999): Natural disasters in Germany Claims experience and loss potentials. Munich.
- ↑ https://www.br.de/themen/wissen/wetter-meteorologie-rosenheimer-hagelabwehr100.html
- ↑ http://www.wetterdienst.de/Klima/Wetterrekorde/Deutschland/Temperatur/
- ^ "Storm of the century over the southern district of Vechta". In: Oldenburgische Volkszeitung, No. 191 of August 19, 1974.
- ↑ "Hail the size of billiard balls". In: Diepholzer Kreisblatt, No. 191 of August 19, 1974
- ↑ "A storm, as if the world was going to end ...". In: New Osnabrück Newspaper. No. 191 of August 19, 1974
- ↑ "Heavy thunderstorms and huge hailstones caused millions in damages in the city and district". In: Verdener Aller newspaper. No. 191 of August 19, 1974.
- ↑ "Thick hail in the streets". In: Weser-Kurier, No. 191 of August 19, 1974
- ↑ "Blitz ignited four times" In: Oldenburgische Volkszeitung. No. 191 of August 19, 1974
- ↑ "Lightning strike also hit the waterworks". In: Verdener Aller newspaper. No. 191 of August 19, 1974
- ↑ "- not to overlook damage thunderstorm" . In: Hamburger Abendblatt, No. 191 of August 19, 1974