At 08:30 on 17 July the Government Security Centre (RCB) blasted a cell-broadcast alert to millions of phones across Poland warning of ‘intense thunderstorms with large hail and wind gusts up to 110 km/h’ expected from Friday afternoon through the night. The Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW) simultaneously issued orange warnings for eight voivodeships and yellow alerts for the remainder of the country. LOT Polish Airlines has already authorised free re-booking for passengers flying into Warsaw, Kraków and Gdańsk between 17 and 18 July, noting that ramp operations could be suspended during lightning peaks. PKP Intercity says speed restrictions of 80 km/h may be imposed on open stretches of track, extending journey times on the busy Warsaw–Katowice and Poznań–Berlin business corridors by up to 60 minutes. Corporate mobility managers are advising assignees to monitor airline apps and to switch to morning trains where possible. Several multinational manufacturers in Łódź and Wrocław have activated work-from-hotel policies for travelling engineers to avoid late-night road transfers once the storms hit. Insurers remind drivers that hail damage claims require photo documentation taken before vehicles are moved from the incident site. The RCB alert system—deployed nationwide in 2018—has become a critical piece of Poland’s travel-risk infrastructure. Friday’s message is only the third nationwide alert this year, underscoring the exceptional nature of the frontal system sweeping in from Germany. Authorities urge travellers to secure loose items on balconies, avoid wooded areas and plan for possible power cuts that could disrupt traffic-light sequencing and airport approach-lighting systems.
Source: Onet Wiadomości
