A crucial railway route between Hanover in northern Germany and the city of Minden in the western state of North Rhine Westphalia, which was closed for hours due to a lightning strike, has been reopened, a railway spokesman told dpa on Sunday morning.
During the closure, trains were diverted via Bremen, causing significant disruptions, German rail operator Deutsche Bahn’s website reported.
Nationwide, there were no further major disruptions due to the thunderstorms that swept across Germany in the early hours of Sunday.
The storm system, consisting of multiple thunderstorm cells, moved across several German regions before weakening as it reached the north and east of the country by mid-morning.
The risk of thunderstorms persisted in some regions throughout Sunday.
However, the heavy thunderstorms were not quite as severe as forecast, according to the German Weather Service (DWD).
There were “only very isolated heavy squalls and gale-force gusts,” a spokesman said.