The ducks swim over the flooded waterfront under the Passau Schaiblingsturm. Weekend walkers will have to take a different route this Saturday. The rains of the past few days have caused the water levels in the rivers in eastern Bavaria to swell. In Vilshofen, the Danube even exceeded the second flood notification level around noon. The Isar also overflows in Plattling, as reported by the Bavarian flood intelligence service. The water level there should remain in the range of reporting levels one to two beyond the weekend.
Nevertheless, the situation report remains relaxed: “The flood situation is calming down,” announced the State Office for the Environment, the flood waves on the Danube and Isar would flow away over the weekend without further rainfall. The flood warning was lifted for the Kelheim district, in Landshut the flood news service gave the all-clear, but recommended residents in lower-lying areas to keep an eye on basements and underground car parks because of the rising groundwater. In Munich, the Isar exceeded the first reporting level on Friday, and the water has now continued to flow.
The forecast gives little hope of sunshine in large parts of Bavaria in the next few days. Precipitation between eastern Upper Bavaria and Bayerwald is announced for Saturday. The German Weather Service reports heavy downpours for northern Swabia and Central Franconia. According to the current status, showers and individual thunderstorms, which have been announced primarily for the edge of the Alps, will not be sufficient to trigger further warning levels.
The Saturday walk along the Inn is canceled in Passau.
(Photo: Leo Kilz)
In Passau, people are used to flooding anyway: Only when the shopkeepers on the banks of the Danube clear their shop windows do Passau students call their worried parents and assure them that there really is no danger. The high water level still affects shipping on the Danube in particular. Many ships no longer fit under the bridges and postpone their onward journey by a few hours. The American river cruisers take the extra time in “beautiful Passau” calmly.
And so the flooded waterfront remains a somewhat macabre tourist attraction this weekend. The catastrophe in the Ahr valley last year brought back memories of the flood of the century in 2013 in the city. Nobody here wants to see dark clouds of rules. But as long as the sky stays blue in places, a few storm clouds can be forgiven.