The heavy downpour, accompanied by frequent lightning strikes, wreaked havoc in central Germany, leading to the cancellation of approximately 70 flights.
As the day progressed, substantial pools of water formed on the runway, trapping passengers on landed planes and preventing them from exiting. A viral video circulated on social media, depicting aircraft stationed in sizeable standing water, with flashes of lightning illuminating the backdrop.
Frankfurt Airport’s official website confirmed that around 70 flights had to be canceled due to the adverse weather conditions. The situation escalated to the point where ground handling operations were suspended for over two hours, as confirmed by an airport spokesperson.
The situation resulted in more than 23 planned flights being diverted to alternate airports mid-flight due to the night flight curfew and the runway’s flooded condition. Initial estimates from Frankfurt Airport indicated that over a thousand passengers were directly impacted by these disruptions.
Preceding the downpour, the German Weather Service (DWD) had issued a comprehensive warning covering the entire state of Hesse. The thunderstorms were accompanied by intense rainfall, gale-force winds, and frequent lightning strikes. Consequently, fire departments in various parts of Hesse were actively engaged in response to incidents caused by the adverse weather.
Between 8pm. and 11pm local time, parts of the region experienced an astonishing 60 liters of rainfall per square meter, as reported by the weather office. Within a span of just one hour, meteorologists recorded an astounding 25,000 lightning strikes, as detailed by the local public broadcaster Hessische Rundfunk.
