Cologne before the thunderstorm alarm: violent storms and heavy rain announced!

Cologne before the thunderstorm alarm: violent storms and heavy rain announced!

Cologne was hit by an intense heat wave on June 14, 2025. The German Weather Service (DWD) issued a heat warning for parts of North Rhine-Westphalia on Thursday, June 12th. This warning not only applied to Cologne, but also extended to Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg. On Friday, the city experienced temperatures up to 30 degrees and enjoyed sunny weather. But the heat wave continued on Saturday with humid weather and temperatures above 20 degrees, while the threat of severe weather loomed for the afternoon. In order to prepare the population for the upcoming weather conditions, the city of Cologne gave helpful tips against the midday heat and set up a hotline at 0221-221-34347.

There was a threat of severe thunderstorms in Cologne from 3 p.m.; The warning app Nina reported a severe weather warning at 2 p.m. According to the DWD, the city was confronted with severe thunderstorms and heavy rain of up to 40 liters per square meter. The warning was in effect until the night of Sunday, June 15th. There were reports of violent squalls and heavy rain in various parts of the city, but there was no unwanted encounter with the fire brigade as there was only a report of a fallen tree without any intervention.

Severe weather systems and warning levels

The DWD broke down the storm situation in detail: There was talk of hail with a grain size of around 3 cm, and there was also the threat of severe squalls with speeds of up to 100 km/h. In addition, hurricane-like gusts of up to 110 km/h were possible, which increased the uncertainty regarding the path of the thunderstorms. Despite the serious predictions, no catastrophic scenarios emerged in the region around Cologne. Despite the warnings, the fire brigade had no special operation, which was partly due to the fact that the storm situation was comparatively mild.

After the restless Saturday, a drop in temperatures to up to 24 degrees was forecast on Sunday, and only occasional showers and isolated strong thunderstorms were to be expected. Monday would then be clear to cloudy and mostly free of precipitation.

Conclusion and outlook

The risk of severe weather in Cologne illustrates how important timely warnings are. Information about upcoming storms is continuously updated by professionals from the severe weather center and is available around the clock. It is also advisable to take a look at the weather in the coming days, as thunderstorms and heavy rain are often part of the weather in North Rhine-Westphalia at this time of year. Whether the umbrella is freshly ready for use or you are planning a trip, good preparation can help you enjoy the dry days.

You can find out more about the current weather developments and warnings at Express, KSTA and Unwetterzentrale.