Severe thunderstorms sweep across Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt – damage remains limited

In the areas of Cottbus, Spree-Neiße, Oberspreewald-Lausitz, Dahme-Spreewald, and Elbe-Elster, the control center counted 15 operations on Friday evening, most of them due to fallen trees. In the city of Frankfurt (Oder) as well as in the districts of Oder-Spree and Märkisch-Oderland, fire brigades were dispatched to eleven operations, also predominantly because of fallen trees.

Situation in Saxony-Anhalt

In Rabenstein/Fläming, water seeped into the basement of a house, according to a spokesperson for the Brandenburg control center. Overall, the emergency services concluded: "Es hat sich als nicht ganz so schlimm dargestellt" and "das Unwetter hat aber keine schweren Folgen gehabt." Fire departments in Brandenburg are taking stock.

The severe weather also struck Saxony-Anhalt on Friday. In Dessau-Roßlau, the fire department recorded 121 assistance operations and eight firefighting deployments; at times, almost 170 professional and volunteer firefighters were in action. Numerous residential buildings, daycare centers, a school, and a shopping center were affected; the shopping center was evacuated as a precaution.

In the Anhalt-Bitterfeld district, fire brigades were dispatched to more than 30 operations. In the Salzland district, especially in and around Aschersleben, more than 20 operations were reported – mostly due to flooded basements and fallen trees. The rescue control center in the Burgenland district also registered numerous emergency calls.

Damage and outlook

On the A36 near Aschersleben-Ost, a car began to skid due to aquaplaning; no one was injured. In the Harz region, several roads were under water after heavy rainfall. In Derenburg, streets were flooded; in Ermsleben, the B185 federal highway was filled with water in the area of Endorfer Straße.

Emergency crews pumped out flooded basements, removed fallen trees, and cleared inundated streets. In several places, the water pushed manhole covers up.

As of the reporting, no one was injured. Following the severe weather, conditions are calming down: on Saturday, temperatures between 23 and 26 degrees are expected; on Sunday, highs between 20 and 22 degrees. The coming week is expected to be changeable and noticeably cooler.

Reporting was provided by Michael Rosebrock, Lukas Mauri, Anja Walczak, Lonny Kirchner, and Felix Fahnert of MDR as well as by dpa. The article was first published on July 17, 2026.