With constant rain, hurricane force winds and storm surges, Germany is heading towards Christmas. The German Weather Service (DWD) is warning of hurricane-like gusts for the coasts and the Alps on Thursday – and it will continue to be stormy and rainy. The reason for this is the low Zoltan.
People on the Elbe, Weser and Ems have to prepare for severe storm surges. The water levels in the rivers are expected to rise to more than 2.5 meters above mean high water on Friday morning, as the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) announced on Thursday. Severe storm surge applies when the water level is 2.5 meters above mean high water. Hamburg, Bremen and Lower Saxony are affected. The storm surge expected for the North Sea coasts and rivers on Thursday evening already has the potential to rise to the level of a severe storm surge: “We are now seeing a tendency that there could be a severe storm surge on Thursday evening,” said Jennifer Brauch from the BSH -Forecasting services for the North and Baltic Seas. Some ferry trips were canceled.
Ferries to and from Norderney will be canceled from Thursday afternoon.
(Photo: Volker Bartels/dpa)
In view of the expected storm surge on Friday night, the Hamburg police warned against staying in low-lying areas around the Elbe. This particularly affects the port, the Hafencity and areas on the Elbe. Buildings in these areas should also be protected from flooding and vehicles should be relocated to higher areas.
Also in the rest of the country Zoltan for problems. As a precautionary measure, the Essen Christmas market remained closed on Thursday due to the storm warning. In Hanover, parks remained closed.
“Striking weather” and snow in the mountains in Bavaria
For Bavaria, the meteorologists initially predicted a lot of snow for the higher altitudes of the Bavarian Forest. There are also expected to be squalls on Friday night. Hurricane-like gusts are forecast for the mountains and the coasts. The DWD expects stormy gusts or squalls in the Bavarian plains until Saturday, particularly in the foothills of the Alps and generally in the mountains, severe squalls. At higher altitudes in the Alps and the Bavarian Forest there could also be hurricane-like gusts and, in some cases, hurricane-force gusts on the highest peaks.
On Thursday morning, the weather service warned of “striking weather” (level 2) throughout the Free State and of severe weather (level 3) in the south and partly in the east. Level 4 would be the highest warning level. It is expected to rain a lot in the low mountain ranges and the Alps until the night of Christmas Eve. In the Allgäu, the DWD warns of severe, continuous rain.