Baltic Sea shock: Alarming water levels and storm surge warnings in MV!

Baltic Sea shock: Alarming water levels and storm surge warnings in MV!

On October 29, 2025, the water levels on the Baltic Sea in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania came into focus again. The measuring stations in Wismar, Warnemünde, Althagen, Barth, Stralsund, Sassnitz and Greifswald provide important data about the current water levels. The Baltic Sea has shown its unpredictable side again in recent days and several stations have experienced a rise, which is a cause for concern for both residents and tourists. The Baltic Sea newspaper reports on the latest developments, particularly warnings of storm surges.

A look at the water levels over the last few years shows that the average low in Warnemünde is 407 cm and the average high is 617 cm. The highest flood level ever recorded was 770 cm when a severe storm surge hit the coast on November 13, 1872. But even in the recent past, such as in October 2023, a storm surge caused damage amounting to 56 million euros in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which has meant considerable financial pressure for many coastal communities.

Monitoring and warning systems

In such weather events, timely warning is essential. In Germany there are various institutions that are responsible for warnings. This includes not only the flood control centers, but also federal and state authorities as well as the police and fire departments. Alerts are issued across numerous channels, including radio, television, loudspeaker trucks and even modern digital platforms such as social media and alert apps. This means that citizens are always informed and can prepare accordingly.

Another important tool for analyzing flood events is the flood atlas from the Federal Office of Cartography and Geodesy. This atlas bundles various data sets that are essential for analyzing flood events and offers a digital option for visualizing flood-relevant data on a map. This information is available free of charge not only to authorities, but also to the public.

Classify storm surges

But what exactly happens during a storm surge on the Baltic Sea? There are four storm surge classes on the German coast. A simple storm surge is classified as a water level of 1.00 to 1.24 m above mean sea level (NHN). In higher classes, such as the severe storm surge (1.50 to 1.99 m above sea level) or the very severe storm surge (from 2.00 m above sea level), the risk of infrastructural damage and the safety of residents becomes noticeable. The BSH clarifies these differences and emphasizes the urgency of monitoring.

The last severe storm surge hit the city of Sassnitz particularly hard, which reported a financial need of around 42 million euros to restore its infrastructure. An additional 6 million euros are needed to compensate for the loss of sand on beaches and dunes through artificial nourishment. This shows that coastal protection remains an important issue in order to continue to enjoy the beauty and safety of the Baltic Sea coast.