Status: 01/30/2022 07:42 a.m
Storm “Nadia” continues to rage in northern Germany. The German Weather Service (DWD) warns of hurricane-like gusts and individual hurricane gusts along the entire north German coast, in the north of Schleswig-Holstein and in large parts of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania until the morning. A severe storm surge is expected by the afternoon.
The strong wind has caused hundreds of police and fire brigade operations and restrictions on long-distance and regional rail traffic. Long-distance traffic in northern Germany was temporarily stopped last night. Due to storm damage, Deutsche Bahn warns of train cancellations and delays until noon.
the Bahn provides information on its website about the current status.
So far, a good 300 storm operations and storm surges on the Elbe in Hamburg
In Hamburg alone there have been around 300 storm operations so far, said a police spokesman early in the morning. According to Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) there was a heavy storm tide in the Elbe area of Hamburg during the night – this flooded the fish market in St. Pauli. The apex was reached at around 12:17 a.m. at 2.84 meters above the mean high tide, said a spokeswoman for the BSH. A dredger was damaged late on Saturday evening. It wedged itself under the Elbe bridges, as Chief Fire Director Christian Schwarz announced on Twitter. As a result, two people were saved. As the Hamburg police announced, the free port bridge, the new Elbbrücke and the railway bridges had to be closed as a result of the accident – with the corresponding hindrances to traffic.
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Many assignments in Schleswig-Holstein
In the north of Schleswig-Holstein alone, the fire brigades had to be deployed around 120 times. That said a spokesman for the regional control center, which is responsible for Flensburg, Schleswig and Husum, among other things. No exact figures were available for other parts of the country. But there have been a number of operations, said a spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior.
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Effects also in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
The storm low over the North Sea also brought many operations to the fire brigade and police in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. A spokesman for the fire brigade said they had been deployed almost 200 times in Schwerin and the surrounding area. 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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Fallen trees in Lower Saxony and a damaged freighter
In the district of Aurich in East Friesland, the fire brigade was called around 25 times for help. Trees and construction fences had also fallen there. The Lower Saxony Ministry of the Interior in Hanover did not have any exact figures early on Sunday morning. There were initially no larger operations, said a spokesman.
An unloaded freighter drifted off the East Frisian coast for several hours because of the storm: the 190-meter-long “Vienna” clearly had problems manoeuvring, said a spokesman for the emergency command in Cuxhaven. The machine was too weak to hold the ship against wind and waves. Therefore, among other things, emergency tugs were sent to the distressed vessel. The freighter was secured after about six hours. According to initial findings, the 24 crew members were not injured. The ship was not damaged.
Storm surge on the North and Baltic Seas and in Hamburg
According to the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) a storm tide had hit the entire North Sea coast during the night. There is a storm surge warning for the German North Sea coast until the morning. Accordingly, the morning high water and the afternoon high water will be 1.5 to 2 meters higher and in the Weser and Elbe area 2 to 2.5 meters higher than the average high water.
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“Funnel Effect and Bathtub Effect”
As the meteorologist Sebastian Wache reported in an interview in the ARD Infonacht, hurricane gusts with wind force 12 were measured over Schleswig-Holstein on Saturday evening. There will be a “bathtub effect” on the Baltic Sea: According to the guard, if the winds decrease during the course of Sunday, the water of the “Baltic Sea that has been pushed away” will slosh back and could, for example, overflow its banks in Flensburg.
AUDIO: Severe storms and continued risk of storm surges in the north (3 min)
Ferry connections are cancelled
The ferry connections of the Hallig line of the Wyker Dampfschiffs-Reederei (WDR) are canceled due to the storm. According to the shipping company, connections from Föhr, Amrum and Dagebüll are also affected. For the trips on the Hallig line to and from Hooge, there are replacement connections today at 2 p.m. from Schlüttsiel and at 3.15 p.m. from Langeneß. According to the WDR, there could be further timetable changes depending on the actual weather conditions. The Elbe ferry Glückstadt – Wischhafen stopped operating last night.
In addition, several ferries on the Baltic Sea between Rostock and Gedser are canceled until at least 9 a.m. According to the shipowner, the regular timetable is expected to resume in both directions at 11:15 a.m. The Hiddensee shipping company used a special timetable between Schaprode and the island of Hiddensee that is still valid today.
National Park Administration: Do not enter the Harz Mountains
The DWD is also expecting severe gusts of wind on the Brocken in the Harz Mountains – hurricane gusts are also possible on the 1,141 meter high summit by the afternoon. The national park administration therefore advises against forest visits beyond the weekend. The hurricane-like gusts pose 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 after the storm.
Temporary calming of the weather
According to the DWD, the wind decreases over the course of the day, the day then runs mostly quite friendly, with maximum temperatures between six and eight degrees.
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