It's raining and storming in Germany this weekend.

This ensures rising water levels, including in Hesse.

After the rains of the past few days, the Lahn has burst its banks in some places in central Hesse.

Volunteer firefighters rescued two drivers with their vehicles from a flooded street in the Gießen district in Hesse on Saturday.

The area in the Heuchelheim community was clearly closed, said a spokesman for the emergency services.

Nevertheless, the drivers drove into the area and then stayed with the vehicles.

The rescuers then approached with a Unimog and pulled the vehicles out of the water.

Nobody was injured in the incident.

The German Weather Service warns of the risk of severe weather on the North Sea coast.

Hurricane gusts or gusts of wind between 100 and 120 km/h are likely.

Occasionally, hurricane-like gusts of around 105 km/h cannot be completely ruled out in the north-west with heavy showers, even inland.

The district fire brigade association Aurich warned walkers, drivers and homeowners.

For example, garden furniture and garbage cans should be secured, windows and doors should remain closed.

Scaffolding and advertising signs should also be checked again for a secure hold.

Falling roof tiles could also pose a hazard.

You shouldn't go for a walk in the forest.

Road users must be particularly vigilant.

Fallen trees and branches could also become a problem for cyclists and pedestrians.

Trucks could be pushed off the road, the statement on Saturday said.

Water levels in rivers are rising

In North Rhine-Westphalia, the heavy rain continued over the weekend.

The German Weather Service (DWD) also forecast a storm for Sunday.

According to the most recent forecast by the DWD, rainfall of between 35 and 40 liters per square meter was expected in the congested areas of the mountains.

In view of the "saturated soil", the water levels of the water bodies in the affected catchment areas of the Ruhr, Wupper or Sieg could rise again after a temporary relaxation, said a spokesman for the State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection (Lanuv).

On the night of Friday, there were numerous fire brigade and rescue service operations due to flooding and flooded basements in Sauerland and Solingen, among other places.

According to the latest Lanuv management report from Saturday morning, 9 out of 87 levels reported flooding, all of which were still declining at the time of the report.

The level of the Lenne in Altena in the Sauerland was at information level 2, which stands for the risk of flooding of cellars, fire brigade operations and the blocking of regional transport connections.

Stormy gusts in Schleswig-Holstein

According to the German Weather Service (DWD), strong to stormy gusts of wind are to be expected in Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg, especially on the sea.

With dense clouds and a lot of rain, temperatures of a maximum of eight to ten degrees are reached.

During the night the weather loosens up for a short time.

Rain and wind then quickly set in again on Sunday.

Due to hurricane-like gusts, there is a risk of severe weather in the North Sea during the course of the day, and gusts of wind are also expected inland again.

In addition, according to the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), significantly higher water levels are to be expected on the North Sea coast and in the Elbe region.

The temperatures remain at around seven to nine degrees.

The wind and storm are expected to subside on Monday night.

The snow line falls between 300 and 500 meters.

"Especially in the Eifel, in the Hunsrück and in the Sauerland, there can be 10 to 15 centimeters of fresh snow, maybe even more in some cases," said the DWD.

In the lowlands it will remain mostly rainy.

In the course of the week, the temperatures are expected to drop further and be at a maximum of 1 to 3 degrees.

However, a snow cover will only form and last at medium and higher altitudes.