As of: December 23, 2023 7:35 p.m
After storm Zoltan, the weather situation in the north is now largely calming down. What remains is heavy rain – even on Christmas Eve. Official warnings apply to several districts in southern Lower Saxony.
According to the German Weather Service (DWD), long-lasting rain will also determine the weather during the Christmas holidays. This means: Anyone who is still hoping for a white Christmas will probably have to travel. At most, there may be significant snowfall on the Baltic Sea and in Western Pomerania during the night and early Sunday morning, although this is more likely to be noticeable as slush. Be careful of slippery roads! Changeable showery weather continues to dominate.
Christmas Eve: Stormy at ten to twelve degrees
As the day progresses, the wind will increase again from the west to southwest. Then there are strong to stormy gusts, isolated squalls, strong to stormy winds on the North Sea, with heavy squalls towards the evening. The meteorologists predict highs of ten to twelve degrees Celsius for Christmas Eve in northern Germany.
Warnings for southern Lower Saxony
One still applies to the Lower Saxony districts of Göttingen, Goslar and Northeim storm warning before heavy, continuous rain with rainfall amounts between 70 and 100 liters per square meter. According to the DWD, up to 120 liters per square meter can be achieved in storage areas. According to the district, the flood situation in the Hameln-Pyrmont district is expected to “get significantly worse” over Christmas. The cities of Hameln, Bad Pyrmont and Hessisch Oldendorf as well as the municipality of Emmerthal are currently particularly affected. Residents are asked to inform themselves about the current situation and to secure their property and rooms near water.
The Hamburg environmental authority said that caution should still be exercised when entering forests and parks in the coming days. Branches and trees could fall.
Rail: High capacity utilization, train connection canceled
Deutsche Bahn (DB) says it has largely repaired the storm damage. “Regional traffic is running as scheduled again and long-distance traffic is returning to normal,” said a railway spokesman on Saturday morning. The railway had canceled the train connection for tickets valid up to and including Saturday. Passengers could use their tickets on a later day and cancel seat reservations free of charge, it says on the DB homepage. However, the company also pointed out that long-distance trains were already very busy due to the Christmas period. DB advises that travelers should always check their connection before starting their journey.
Ferry traffic on the North and Baltic Seas has largely normalized
On Friday, ferry traffic on the North and Baltic Seas was partly severely restricted. Many restrictions have now been lifted, including on connections between Rostock and Denmark and Sweden. However, passengers have to be prepared for bumpy crossings, as a port spokesman in Rostock said.
Ferries to and from the East Frisian island of Wangerooge should also mostly run according to schedule after traffic had to be completely stopped on Friday. If you want to go to Langeoog, you have to go Shipping company information expect weather-related cancellations and delays until December 25th.
Heavy storm surge on the North Sea and in Hamburg
A severe storm surge hit Hamburg and the North Sea coast on Friday morning. According to the information, a water level of 2.51 meters above the mean flood was measured at the Eider barrage near Tönning. In Hamburg, the flood peak was reached at the St. Pauli gauge at a height of 3.33 meters above mean flood. The fish market and surrounding streets were partially flooded to waist height. Numerous streets in the Hafencity were also under water.
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Neuharlingersiel: Ferry washed ashore
How the “Spiekeroog IV” gets back into the water is currently being examined.
The Norwegian cruise ship MS “Maud” was caught in a severe storm in the North Sea on Friday and was towed to Bremerhaven after a flood and a power outage on the bridge. The Hurtigruten Group said the ship was hit by a “monster wave” with 266 passengers and 131 crew members on board. At the Neuharlingersiel ferry terminal in the Wittmund district, a ferry was pushed onto a quay wall on Friday.
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Bunker part tips over onto the beach on Borkum
The storm removed large parts of the beaches on Langeoog and Wangerooge. On the East Frisian island of Borkum, a massive bunker element from the Second World War tipped onto the beach. The concrete part was exposed during the storm surge at the beginning of 2022 and has been hanging clearly visible in a protective dune ever since. According to general assessment, the concrete block poses no danger.
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