Dry, cooler weather expected for World Cup final

BERLIN, July 8 (Reuters) The heavy rains and thunderstorms that have doused Berlin's heat wave in the last two days will have left the capital by tomorrow's World Cup final, Germany's leading eteorologist said today.

Joerg Kachelmann, ARD television's weather forecaster, told Reuters that temperatures at kickoff at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Sunday for the match at Olympiastadion between Italy and France would be 24 degrees.

That is well below the stifling highs of 35 degrees recorded two days ago in western sections of Berlin around the stadium before a series of thunderstorms drenched the city.

''We're going to see clouds and patches of blue skies in between with a 20 percent chance of showers,'' Kachelmann said of the weather at the stadium tomorrow evening.

''The temperature at 8 p.m. will be 24 degrees and it will be only slightly cooler at about 21 degrees when the World Cup is handed over later,'' he added.

''That's not too bad as far as heat and humidity is concerned,'' Kachelmann said. ''No deluge should be expected either.'' A thunderstorm and cloud burst on Friday evening forced the cancellation of an outdoor concert at the Brandenburg Gate for World Cup fans. There were further spells of rain in Berlin on Saturday.

REUTERS PM PC1626