On 6 July 2023, a severe hailstorm hit Vitoria-Gasteiz, caused by a supercell. Active cells moved southwest to northeast, with some shifting west-east. The storm, with radar reflectivities up to 65 dBz, brought intense showers and hail up to 5 cm in diameter. It caused injuries, vehicle damage and urban flooding. This study analyzes the storm’s conditions and surface effects using different data.

COSMO-REA6 is widely used in energy applications but has known deficits. Its successor, COSMO-R6G2, is evaluated for Germany, focusing on Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) as well as wind speed. It shows slightly lower GHI and good wind quality in flat areas, but underestimates night-time wind in mountains. Overall, it is a useful successor, though users should consider remaining limitations.

In this paper we analyse the suitability of different reanalyses and meso-scale models for simulating wind energy in Germany. We found that all datasets overestimate energy production, with errors ranging from 5 % to 45 %. This suggests that the underlying models may not accurately reflect average wind conditions. CERRA and ERA5 performed the best, but they also require regional adjustment. Understanding the cause of these differences is crucial for improving weather and wind energy modelling.