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About 35 homes were damaged and five people injured in the town of Roetgen, western Germany, when the "short but violent" tornado ripped through on Wednesday, according to a fire brigade spokesman.
The tornado carved a "path of destruction" according to German public broadcaster WDR. Ten houses are no longer liveable as a result of the storm, with the top floor of two homes completely destroyed and the windows of many buildings smashed.
Several cars were also damaged by falling trees, street lights, and debris. Footage captured by locals shows the wind funnel, which was later confirmed to be a tornado by weather experts, moving through the town.
The town on the Belgian border is home to 8,600 people. Mayor Jorma Klaus said residents were "calm and collected" and praised a local hotel owner who offered free accommodation to those affected by the tornado.
Germany experienced 17 tornados last year, according to the German Weather Service (DWD), however large-scale destructive tornadoes are rare. "Such tornadoes are rare, but they can occur again and again - even in central Germany," said a DWD spokeswoman on Thursday.
The clean-up operation began on Thursday with the first estimate of damages ranging into the hundreds of thousands. "The full extent of the damage is only now clear," said the fire department spokesman.
Comment: Notice the weather service trying to normalize the storm. Yes indeed, for several years now, Germany has been hit with multiple violent tornado outbreaks - a NEW weather pattern.
Serious, thinking people will be wondering why it is that places that were almost never associated with tornadoes, such as most of Europe, are now having them, while in those regions where tornadoes used to be common, they are now occurring out of season.
A small sample:
- Rare winter tornado tears a path of destruction through Uniontown, Pennsylvania (PHOTOS)
- Rare August tornado strikes Jackson Metro, Mississippi
- Tornado rips through 2 towns in French Pyrenees (UPDATE)
- Landspout tornado forms near Safford, Arizona
- Tornado slams into Italian steel plant - video
- Tornado touches down near Three Hills, Alberta, Canada
- US: 'Oh my God! I'm freaked out. It's a tornado!' Video captures the terrifying moment a furious twister hit the New York State Thruway
- Rare tornado hits central California town, damages buildings
- Tornado hits near Marseille - video
- Large tornado '50 metres wide' hits West Sussex, UK
- Russia: Tornado Hits Suburbs 30 Miles Outside Moscow
- Rare tornado filmed in Istanbul, Turkey
- Devastating tornado rips through China's Hainan Province
- Tornado wreaks havoc on island of Zakynthos, Greece
- Menacing tornado forms over central Ukraine (VIDEOS)
- New Zealand: Tornado hits Auckland shopping mall: one dead
- Rare tornadoes hit northern Sweden
The book Earth Changes and the Human Cosmic Connection, by Pierre Lescaudron is a good place to start, when looking for answers.