7/6/2024Updated6. 7. 2024, 21:47|Source: ČTK
Strong storms hit the Czech Republic (source: ČT24)
On Saturday evening, strong thunderstorms began to spread from the west in the whole of Bohemia and the Vysočina, in southern Bohemia and in the west of the Vysočina, they might be very strong, according to the meteorologists’ warning. A tree fell on two people in Prague’s Braník in the evening, one was seriously injured. In some parts of the country, storms complicated railway transport.
A 30-year-old man suffered a serious head injury following a tree fell in Braník, the woman has a slight facial injury, rescuers said. The accident occurred in U Kempinku street. Along with a serious head injury, the man also has other injuries. “The paramedics put him into artificial sleep, secured the airway, treated him, then transported him to the trauma center,” the paramedics wrote. A young woman was treated for an acute stress reaction.
“There are very strong storms in the Prague area and part of the Central Bohemia region, during which it can rain over 30 millimeters in 30 minutes,” the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ) said before 19:00. Train traffic was stopped by a tree that fell on the tracks between Žvahov and Praha-Smíchov station. Due to strong winds, the cable car at the zoo stopped operating half an hour earlier than usual around 6:30 p.m. Prague firefighters went to twelve events in connection with the weather. “It was mainly regarding fallen trees and branches or cleaning the road from stones. The area of Braník and Modřany was the most affected,” they said.
The strong wind also complicated traffic in the Ústí Region, firefighters dealt with 28 incidents, mostly fallen trees, by early evening. It hasn’t caused any serious problems yet, said Lukáš Faják, spokesman for the Fire and Rescue Service of the Ústí Region, following 19:00. Fallen trees also stopped traffic on the Obrnice-Počerady railway line, and trains were delayed there.
Thunderstorm Warning for July 6, 2024
The warning was valid for the whole of Bohemia and Vysočina until one hour following midnight. Very strong thunderstorms with wind gusts of around 85 kilometers per hour and hail reached the east of the Karlovy Vary region around 5:00 p.m. and are headed for the neighboring Ústí region, the ČHMÚ announced. In the Karlovy Vary Region, train operations were restricted by fallen trees on two lines, according to information from the Railway Administration.
The warning also predicted very strong thunderstorms in the South Bohemian Region and the western Highlands. In torrential rains, up to 40 liters of water per square meter might fall in a short time, the wind might blow at gusts of around 90 kilometers per hour and the hail might be around three centimeters.
Heat wave
Meteorologists reported on Saturday morning that a wavy cold front will advance to the Czech Republic in the followingnoon, but before it, the influx of very warm air from the south will peak. “Behind the cold front, temperatures will drop from the west. In the followingnoon and evening, the humidity will rise in Bohemia, and in combination with high temperatures, we will feel stuffy,” informed Štefan Handžák from ČHMÚ.
Meteorologists warned of tropical temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, expecting them especially in Polabí and southern Moravia. Temperatures there also climbed above 30 degrees, but Saturday did not break records at stations measuring at least 30 years, said a CHMÚ employee. In Libuš, they measured a new maximum of 34.3 degrees Celsius, which replaced the previous record for July 6, 2019, when the thermometer here showed 32.9 degrees Celsius.
Torrential rainfall and large hail
Torrential rain can flood underpasses, underpasses and basements, and small streams can flood, the ČHMÚ warned. Damage or injury can be caused by tree branches broken by the wind. “Even smaller hail and lightning can pose a danger,” meteorologists added. Flash floods can occur in places with strong storms, and the wind can also uproot trees and cause more extensive property damage, power outages and traffic problems.
After last week’s tropical temperatures and strong storms, which caused damage especially in Moravia and Silesia, this week the weather has been calmer thanks to the cooling. On Sunday, meteorologists expect a return to lower temperatures, they should not exceed 22 degrees Celsius, in the southeast of Moravia 26 degrees. The forecast calls for occasional rain or showers in places, increasing precipitation in the evening from the southwest.
