German weather service says storm generated 3 tornadoes

May 20, 2022, 1:02 PM | Updated: May 21, 2022, 9:35 am

Destroyed cars lie by a road following a tornado that hit thea area on Friday, in Paderborn and Lippstadt, Germany, Saturday, May 21, 2022. (Friso Gentsch/dpa via AP)

(Friso Gentsch/dpa via AP)

A man stands in front of a fallen tree in the town hall square of Lippstadt, Germany, a day after heavy rains and storms hit the area, Saturday, May 21, 2022. (David Inderlied/dpa via AP)

A view of the damaged roof of a residential building in Lippstadt, Germany, a day after heavy rains and storms hit the area, Saturday, May 21, 2022. (David Inderlied/dpa via AP)

A police vehicle stands next to a downed tree from severe weather in Lippstadt, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. Meteorologists had warned that heavy rainfall and hail were expected in western and central Germany on Friday, with storms producing wind gusts up to 130 kph (81 mph). (Friso Gentsch/dpa via AP)

A destroyed solar cell module lies on the roadside next to a fallen tree from severe weather in Paderborn, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. (Lino Mirgeler/dpa via AP)

A wall is missing in a chemical plant in Paderborn, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. "In the course of a thunderstorm, a whirlwind on Friday afternoon cut a swath of devastation from west to east through the middle of Paderborn towards the eastern parts of the city," police said. (Lino Mirgeler/dpa via AP)

The roof of a construction machinery dealer lies across the building from severe weather in Paderborn, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. Meteorologists had warned that heavy rainfall and hail were expected in western and central Germany on Friday, with storms producing wind gusts up to 130 kph (81 mph). (Lino Mirgeler/dpa via AP)

A loaf of bread lies among the debris on the edge of a downtown street in Paderborn, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. Meteorologists had warned that heavy rainfall and hail were expected in western and central Germany on Friday, with storms producing wind gusts up to 130 kph (81 mph). (Lino Mirgeler/dpa via AP)

View of a snapped-off tree trunk from severe weather in front of a house facade in Lippstadt, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. (Friso Gentsch/dpa via AP)

Two trucks overturned after a storm in Paderborn, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. A tornado swept through the western German city of Paderborn on Friday, injuring at least 30 people as it blew away roofs, toppled trees and sent debris flying for miles, authorities said. (Lino Mirgeler/dpa via AP)

A damaged car is seen after a storm in Paderborn, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. (Lino Mirgeler/dpa via AP)

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

BERLIN (AP) — A storm that swept across parts of Germany generated three tornadoes, the country’s weather service said Saturday. One of them left a trail of destruction and more than 40 people injured in a western city.

Meteorologists had warned of heavy rainfall, hail and strong gusts of wind in western and central Germany on Friday, and people in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia were advised to stay home. Storms on Thursday had already disrupted traffic, uprooted trees that toppled onto rail tracks and roads, and flooded hundreds of basements in western Germany.

The German Weather Service confirmed three tornadoes in North Rhine-Westphalia — in Paderborn, in nearby Lippstadt, and on the edge of the town of Hoexter, news agency dpa reported.

Forty-three people were injured in Paderborn as the tornado tore across the city’s downtown area on Friday afternoon, 13 of them seriously, Mayor Michael Dreier said.

Trees in a park and stop lights “snapped like matches,” roofs were ripped off buildings and windows smashed, he told reporters on Saturday, and the storm left a roughly 300 meter (yard) -wide trail of destruction. A tree hit the windshield of a fire truck, but the occupants weren’t hurt.

Police urged people to stay home or stay out of the city on Saturday so as not to get in the way of recovery work. They said they still expected possible risks from high wind.

Further south, authorities in Bavaria said 14 people were injured Friday when the wooden hut they were trying to shelter in collapsed during a storm at Lake Brombach, south of Nuremberg.

Elsewhere in Europe, Spain was sweltering Saturday under unusually high temperatures for late spring, with a mass of hot, dry air carrying dust from North Africa.

The mercury rose to 42.3 degrees Celsius (108 Fahrenheit) on Friday afternoon in Andujar, in the southern Andalucia region, after reaching 39.5 degrees Thursday. Two of the region’s provincial capitals, Cordoba and Sevilla, also saw similar temperatures.

At least 13 regions were on alert Saturday due to heat, Spain’s State Meteorological Agency AEMET said, and the temperatures could provoke storms in five of them. The “unusual and extreme” temperatures are expected to peak Saturday.