Offenbach (dpa) – With 32 confirmed tornadoes so far, Germany is looking to have an average year for this type of hurricane. The average for the past few years is 45, said Marcus Beyer, tornado expert at the German Weather Service, at the start of the meteorological autumn on September 1st.
“You have to remember that in addition to the confirmed cases, there are also numerous suspected cases that will be examined more closely by the German Tornado Working Group in the spring of the following year,” said Beyer. It is therefore possible that a few more cases will be added to the usual interim report. The final number of tornadoes could therefore be slightly above average.
On the test bench
“If there are no video recordings of the event, an on-site analysis of the damage is required,” explained the expert. “The pattern of damage then usually provides certainty.” A suspected case from the North Rhine-Westphalian town of Attendorn on August 24, 2024 is currently being investigated. Initial indications point to both a tornado and a straight-line downdraft. “It is quite possible that this will end up being case 33 in 2024,” added the expert.
The number of tornadoes in Germany varies greatly from year to year and depends on the respective weather conditions, said the meteorologist. “The figures since 2000 show neither an increase nor a decrease in the number of tornadoes,” he said. The relationships are very complex. It is not possible to directly conclude from an increase in temperature that there is an increase in tornadoes.
In meteorology, the seasons always begin on the first day of March (spring), June (summer), September (autumn) and December (winter) for statistical reasons. The calendar start, however, is based on the Earth's orbit around the sun. The time varies slightly every year because the Earth's orbit and the length of the year do not quite match. This year, the calendar start of autumn falls on September 22nd.
