RTL Today – Storm damage: Will there be a tornado in Luxembourg on Saturday?

In any case, a so-called “downburst” has been observed north of Ettelbruck. The storm swept across Luxembourg, almost splitting the country in two. From the weather map, it can be seen that the tornado most likely swept through the Ettelbruck area.

Meteorologists said that to verify whether the tornado caused damage, it is necessary to conduct on-site analysis of the damage or view video footage, otherwise it cannot be verified.

Although data from some weather stations are missing, available information suggests that rainfall in the south-west of the country was 30-40 litres per square metre.

Locally, the number is likely higher. Unfortunately, no single station was able to provide accurate figures to support this information, but radar has measured up to 70 mm locally.

Meteorologist Lars Dahlstrom estimated that wind speeds of up to 120 km/h were recorded.

Lightning strikes were recorded throughout the night in the storm area. This map from Kachelmannwetter details the lightning strikes on Saturday night. While the exact number is uncertain, it is estimated that between 5,000 and 7,000 lightning strikes were recorded.

Interview with Philippe Ernzer from Météo Boulaide

In addition to the experts from Kachelmannwetter, we also asked Philippe Ernzer from Météo Boulaide to assess the weather phenomena on Saturday evening.

Philip Ellner Explains: “Yesterday, a severe thunderstorm moved over Luxembourg. In fact, two smaller thunderstorm segments happened to merge over Luxembourg, forming a line as they moved through the country. This formation is known as a ‘bow echo’. Bow echoes are usually associated with strong storm surges, which can even reach hurricane-force winds. This thunderstorm moved from the southwest to the north and northeast, which meant that almost everyone in the country experienced its effects, with water and wind impacts to varying degrees.”

Photos released showed extensive damage, raising questions about whether the disaster could have been caused by a tornado, especially in areas such as Biver.

Ernzer commented on the radar observations: “From the radar, we observed very localized signals of rotational activity. This is typical for bow echo instances – there are a lot of dynamics going on, and it is not uncommon to see rotation on the radar. Whether this has an impact on the ground is another question. Elsewhere, there are stronger rotational features. I can’t speak specifically about the Biwer area right now, because I’m not there to observe what’s going on, but in another feature that was observed, the rotation was more concentrated around Bissen, near Feulen, that area.”

Enze also used drones to look for signs of a possible tornado in the area.

“We might find converging wind patterns on the ground,” he said. “For example, in a field, we might see some blades of grass bending to the right and others bending to the left, indicating that a tornado has passed through the area.”

Interview with Sven Rock from Météo Remich

Amateur meteorologist Sven Rock measured wind speeds of up to 104 km/h at his weather station in Sinz, Germany. However, his equipment was damaged by the storm, which he discovered when he checked the station on Sunday morning.

The rain gauge funnel had been blown off by the wind, and Rock needed to check if the sensor was still working properly. If not, it could be expensive to fix.