Storm - Floods: Why is it raining so much at the moment?
Rain, rain and more rain. The situation in the flood areas is critical, with soaked dykes worrying the emergency services. Lower Saxony is particularly badly affected. An overview of important questions and answers.
Why is it raining so much at the moment?
In a nutshell, it's due to low-pressure areas that are moving eastwards from the north-east Atlantic and have picked up moisture over the sea, as a meteorologist from the German Weather Service (DWD ) explained on request. "The fact that these are quite mild air masses means they can absorb more moisture and therefore lead to larger amounts of precipitation." In the coming week, it will be cooler in northern Germany and there will be less precipitation.
Climate researchers have long warned that climate change is increasing the risk of extreme weather events. Potsdam climate researcher Stefan Rahmstorf recently wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that global warming is increasing extreme precipitation both worldwide and in Germany. At the beginning of January, he explained that extreme precipitation is becoming more frequent because warmer air can absorb more water vapor and therefore also rain. According to a study in the journal "Climate and Atmospheric Science", the number of precipitation records has risen sharply. On average, one in four record-high daily precipitation events can be attributed to climate change.
Will such floods happen more often in the future?
As a consequence of the flooding, experts are calling for a rethink of flood protection. "In the course of climate change, where flood processes will change, we will certainly see other types of floods in the future," said Ralf Merz, hydrologist at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research in Halle (Saale), recently on Deutschlandfunk radio. "Such long flood events will certainly occur more often in the future."
When will it stop raining?
The continuous rain in parts of Germany is expected to continue until Saturday. Originally, the German Weather Service had issued its warnings until Thursday night - but they were extended on Wednesday. The situation in the flood areas is likely to become even worse as a result.
What does it depend on whether the dykes hold?
"So far, we haven't seen any dyke breaches, as the technical flood protection works well," says Torsten Schlurmann, Head of the Ludwig Franzius Institute of Hydraulic, Estuarine and Coastal Engineering at Leibniz University Hannover. "The dykes provide sufficient protection against flooding as long as water does not accumulate on them over a long period of time." The stability of a dyke then depends, for example, on the material from which the dyke is built and the subsoil on which it stands. It is therefore important that the emergency services constantly monitor the dykes, for example with dyke runners on the ground or with drones from the air.
In Lilienthal in Lower Saxony, which was particularly badly affected by the floods, access is prohibited. The general decree states: "The dyke systems, the areas close to the dyke and their access routes are softened due to the heavy rainfall and the persistently high water levels." There is a risk of the dykes breaching, the water spreading uncontrollably and endangered areas being flooded, especially residential areas.
How is agriculture affected?
According to the local farmers' association, almost every farmer in Lower Saxony is currently affected by flooding or water damage to their fields. This is due to the large amounts of rainfall in recent weeks, the Landvolk Niedersachsen told the German Press Agency. "Several hundred thousand hectares of arable land and grassland have been flooded," said Landvolk President Holger Hennies. Hundreds of farms were also affected by flooding, "but fortunately only very few farms were so badly affected that stables were also affected and livestock had to be evacuated".
Read also:
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- Snow chaos further restricts Bavaria
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- Flood situation remains tense in many places
Source: www.stern.de
