Friday, 27 June
Storm strikes again: Berlin battles fallen trees and forest closures
Berliners woke to a city once more at the mercy of the elements after a fierce summer storm rolled in Thursday evening. Thunder rumbling through the skies accompanied a new wave of chaos – over 860 emergency calls flooded the fire brigade as branches and entire trees came crashing down. The north-west bore the brunt, with two individuals seriously injured in Heiligensee.
That means the beloved Tegel Forest – already weakened by drought and previous winds – remains strictly off-limits, with the Senate warning of a “danger to life” in all wooded and green areas across the city.
Rail passengers faced delays as the S‑Bahn temporarily halted operations from around 6:30 pm. Services trickled back after 7:30 pm, but northern routes are still catching up. Regional trains remain disrupted, and while the Hamburg-Berlin line is running again, it’s only on a single track.
The fire brigade says this week’s storm response has already eclipsed Monday’s ‘Storm Ziros’. Firefighters were “constantly in motion,” clearing debris around the clock.
The skies are clearing, however: the the German Weather Service forecasts a calm weekend, with temps hovering around a balmy 24 °C.
