Status: 01/30/2022 12:11 p.m
The storm “Nadia” caused hundreds of police and fire brigade operations in northern Germany. The authorities are currently warning of the danger of a severe storm surge on the German North Sea coast.
The morning and afternoon floods will be 2 to 2.5 meters higher than the average flood on the East Frisian coast, in the Weser and Elbe area Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH). According to the information, the water levels on the North Frisian coast can be 1.5 to 2 meters higher than the average high water level – in the Hamburg Elbe area even 2.5 to 3 meters higher. The fire brigade in Wilhelmshaven claims to have additionally strengthened the dike gates because of the warning. According to the BSH, there is a risk of storm surges until around 2:30 p.m.
Train: Massive problems in regional and long-distance traffic
According to the German Weather Service (DWD), the storm field itself is now moving away. “It’s gradually getting out, but Sunday is still windy,” said a DWD spokesman in the morning. The DWD has now lifted its severe weather warning for northern Germany. In the evening and at night, on the other hand, the police and fire brigade were in constant use throughout northern Germany because of the storm. Storm damage also caused massive problems in rail traffic. Long-distance traffic in northern Germany was temporarily stopped last night. According to Deutsche Bahn, the situation has now normalized somewhat, but there may still be disruptions in regional and long-distance traffic. the Bahn provides information on its website about the current status.
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Hamburg: 750 storm operations and storm surge on the Elbe
alone in Hamburg police counted around 300 storm operations by early morning, and the fire brigade even 450. According to the BSH, there was a severe storm surge in the Elbe area of Hamburg during the night. The fish market in St. Pauli was flooded. In addition, a dredger became wedged under the Elbe bridges late on Saturday evening. As the Hamburg police announcedseveral bridges had to be closed as a result of the accident – with the corresponding obstructions for traffic.
Disabled freighter off the East Frisian coast
Another accident occurred in Lower Saxony: around 30 kilometers off the East Frisian coast, an unloaded freighter drifted in the sea for several hours. The machine of the 190 meter long “Vienna” was too weak to maneuver in storms and heavy seas, according to the emergency command in Cuxhaven. Therefore, among other things, emergency tugs were sent to the distressed vessel. The storm made the operation considerably more difficult: the waves were five to six meters high on Sunday morning. According to a spokesman for the emergency command, the freighter was secured after about six hours. According to him, the ship can now hold its own against wind and waves again. A team of specially trained seamen is on board. The 24 crew members were not injured. The ship was not damaged either.
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Lower Saxony: Fallen trees cause disabilities
In Lower Saxony, fallen trees in particular caused problems. In the Oldenburg area alone, the police counted a total of 19 accidents, three people were slightly injured. In total, the officials recorded around 100 operations because of the storm. According to the police, trees in the districts of Hildesheim and Goslar fell directly in front of two cars. A 64-year-old and a 27-year-old were unable to brake in time, but were uninjured. In Bunnen (Cloppenburg district), a 19-year-old overlooked a fallen tree. She drove into it and was slightly injured. A tree fell on a train in the district of Rotenburg (Wümme) – nobody was injured. There were also three accidents in Hanover due to fallen trees – the police were there around 50 times in total.
Schleswig-Holstein: 1,000 operations and 127 km/h wind speed
The storm reached top speeds during the night. The highest wind speed in The meteorologists measured Schleswig-Holstein on Hallig Hooge (Nordfriesland district): There “Nadia” reached up to 127 kilometers per hour, according to the DWD. The fire brigades had to be deployed around 1,000 times across the country. Most deployments were recorded in the south: the Bad Oldesloe control center alone reported almost 400 storm-related deployments by the morning.
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Effects also in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
The storm low over the North Sea also brought a lot of work to the fire brigade and police in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. In Schwerin and the surrounding area, almost 200 operations were deployed, said a fire department spokesman. In Stralsund, too, the situation center reported that they had their hands full. In the municipality of Feldberger Seenlandschaft, a 16-year-old motorcyclist crashed his vehicle into a fallen tree and was seriously injured.
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Ferry connections are cancelled
The storm also affects many ferry connections in the North and Baltic Seas. Between the mainland and the East Frisian Islands, the ferries to and from the islands of Wangerooge and Langeoog run at different times or are cancelled. The Elbe ferry Glückstadt-Wischafen does not run until the afternoon either. There are also some changes to the ferry connections of the Wyker Dampfschiffs-Reederei (WDR), including between Föhr, Amrum and Dagebüll. The connections of the Hallig line are completely lost due to the storm.
On the Baltic Sea between Rostock and Gedser, the regular timetable should be resumed in both directions in the morning, according to the shipping company. A special timetable applies between Schaprode and the island of Hiddensee.
AUDIO: Severe storms and continued risk of storm surges in the north (3 min)
National Park Administration: Do not enter the Harz Mountains
According to the DWD, a peak wind speed was reached on the Brocken in the Harz mountains as early as late Saturday afternoon. “Nadia” swept over the 1,141 meter high summit at 130 kilometers per hour. Even if the storm field slowly subsides – it will remain windy. The national park administration therefore advises against forest visits beyond the weekend. There is an acute danger to life, it said. Trees could be uprooted and entire treetops and branches could fall. Efforts will be made to eliminate the damage in the Harz forests in a timely manner, said a spokesman. However, it could be that individual paths are temporarily not accessible.
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