Weather - Elbe, Weser and Ems facing severe storm surge
Storm "Zoltan" swept across northern Germany on Thursday. The first ferries have already been canceled. People on the Elbe, Weser and Ems must prepare for severe storm surges. The water levels in the rivers are expected to rise to more than 2.50 meters above mean high water on Friday morning, as the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) announced on Thursday. This would exceed the threshold for a severe storm surge. Hamburg, Bremen and Lower Saxony are affected.
A storm surge was already expected on the coasts of the North Sea on Thursday evening, which has the potential to rise to the level of a severe storm surge. This already had an impact on ferry traffic on Thursday. Many ferries between the Halligen islands and the mainland were canceled, according to the Wyker Dampfschiffs-Reederei shipping company. A special timetable is in place for other ferries on Friday.
The storm has already caused problems for travelers in Great Britain. The weather service warned of strong winds on Thursday, especially in the north - speeds of more than 120 kilometers per hour were measured in some places, according to the PA news agency. Schools on the Shetland Islands remained closed. In some places, trees fell or the power went out. There were also temporary restrictions on air and rail traffic.
Hamburg police warn against staying on the Elbe
The storm surge was triggered by the fact that the wind is currently blowing consistently strong from one direction, causing the water to pile up on the North Sea coast. "Once the tidal wave has passed the North Sea islands, it will run up the rivers in its wake," said Jennifer Brauch from the BSH forecasting services for the North Sea and Baltic Sea.
For the North Sea coast, water levels were expected to be 1.50 to 2.00 meters above the mean high tide on Thursday morning. In the Elbe and Weser regions, they should climb to 2.00 to 2.50 meters above mean high water.
The Hamburg police warned against staying in low-lying areas around the Elbe during the expected storm surge on Friday night. This applies in particular to the harbor, Hafencity and areas close to the Elbe. Buildings in these areas should also be protected from flooding and vehicles should be parked in higher areas.
The last time the Hanseatic city was hit by the low pressure system "Nadia" on 30 January 2022, it led to two consecutive severe storm surges with values of 2.84 and 2.60 meters above the mean water level. The last severe storm surges on the North Sea therefore occurred in January and February 2022.
Meteorologists expect strong winds
The German Weather Service (DWD) is forecasting gusts of 90 to 110 kilometers per hour for the North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts on Friday morning, with even stronger gale-force gusts possible. Storm "Zoltan" is also continuing to cause problems for the rest of the country. Although the wind will initially weaken there on Friday, it will freshen up again in the second half of the day.
It will remain very rainy and windy towards the weekend and over the Christmas holidays. "It won't be quite as much as today, but you can always expect strong and stormy gusts," said Martin Schönebeck from the DWD. He is not hopeful that the precipitation expected in the coming days will come down as snow. At most, one or two centimetres of snow could fall in the very highest areas of the Sauerland on Friday night. But even that threatens to melt away quickly.
Christmas market closed as a precaution
The Harz narrow-gauge railroads suspended train services to the Brocken due to the stormy weather. On Thursday, traffic between Schierke and the Brocken summit was suspended, according to an HSB spokesperson. Trains on the rest of the route network are scheduled to run as planned. Storm consequences also in North Rhine-Westphalia: As a precautionary measure, the Essen Christmas market, for example, remained closed on Thursday.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, several Christmas markets remained closed on Thursday as a precautionary measure, for example in Essen and Duisburg. Düsseldorf closed in the afternoon. In Hamburg, the operators of the Christmas markets want to keep their stalls open as planned for the time being. For example, there will be no restrictions on opening hours for the Christmas market in front of the town hall, as the market is well protected due to its location, said a spokesperson for the Roncalli Christmas market in Hamburg on Thursday. "We'll see how things go over the next few days."
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- Despite the severe weather conditions on the North Sea coast, Offenbach in Lower Saxony was not directly affected by the storm surge.
- The flooding in the Elbe, Weser, and Ems regions was expected to cause significant disruptions in shipping operations.
- The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) advised ships to stay away from the North Sea coast during the storm surge.
- The police in Schleswig-Holstein were also warning residents to stay away from the coast due to the high risk of danger.
- The storm surge on the North Sea coast was expected to have a devastating impact on the local wildlife and ecosystems.
- The storm low was predicted to bring heavy rainfall and strong winds to Germany, causing further flooding and damage.
- Lower Saxony authorities were urging residents in flood-prone areas to evacuate and seek shelter in higher ground.
- The storm surge in the Weser region was expected to cause significant damage to the historic city of Bremen.
- Electricity supplies in certain areas of Lower Saxony were at risk due to the high wind speeds and potential for power lines to be knocked down.
- The storm surge had a ripple effect on the rest of Germany, with the Rhine and Elbe rivers also expected to reach dangerous levels.
- The chief meteorologist for North Germany advised the public to stay indoors and avoid any non-essential travel during the storm surge.
- Great Britain was also affected by the bad weather, with high winds and heavy rain causing disruptions to transport and businesses across the country.
Source: www.stern.de
