Baltic Sea water levels on October 25th: flood warning for coasts!

Baltic Sea water levels on October 25th: flood warning for coasts!

Today, October 25, 2025, the Baltic Sea coast in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania remains a hotspot for flood management due to rising water levels. The different measuring stations in Wismar, Warnemünde, Althagen, Barth, Stralsund, Sassnitz and Greifswald are the most important contact points for current water level data. Loud Baltic Sea newspaper The latest measurements showed that the water level in Warnemünde is 617 cm - the average value for the past floods over a period of ten years.

For fans of statistics: The highest flood level of 770 cm recorded in Warnemünde dates back to November 13, 1872, while the lowest low water level of 332 cm was measured on October 18, 1967. A water level over 1.00 m is considered a storm surge, with severe storm surges of 1.50 m or more posing serious challenges to coastal protection.

Flood warnings and their distribution

The warning systems are firmly established: flood warnings are issued by various institutions such as flood control centers, police and fire departments. These warnings are distributed via radio, television, social media and even digital billboards. This is particularly important as the last severe storm surge in October caused around €56 million in damage. The city of Sassnitz reported a financial requirement of around 42 million euros for the restoration of important infrastructure. Sand losses on beaches and dunes were also estimated at around six million euros.

The hydrological situation in the Baltic Sea is also regularly pointed out by the Federal Institute for Hydraulic Engineering (BSH). Your monthly reports provide detailed information about water levels and water temperatures, while providing benchmarks with long-term statistics. The latest reports are not accessible and are accessible as PDFs, but contain many graphical representations that allow readers to better understand the situation, such as the Federal Institute for Hydraulic Engineering communicates.

Global flood problem

If we look beyond our borders, we see that floods are one of the most common natural disasters worldwide. Since 2000, they have caused nearly 37 percent of all natural disasters, according to the Statista. According to the European Parliament's definition, this is a temporary flooding of land that is not normally covered by water. Climate change also contributes to this, as a warmer atmosphere stores more water, which in turn leads to more frequent heavy rain events.

In Germany, around 7.6 percent of all addresses are exposed to a statistical flood risk. What are the consequences? Around 400,000 people live in areas that could be affected by flooding in the near future. Particular attention is paid to regions along the Rhine and its tributaries that are particularly at risk.

The flood problem highlights the vulnerability of our infrastructure to extreme weather conditions. A systematic expansion of flood protection and the consideration of natural retention areas are crucial in order to minimize future damage and respond effectively to changing climatic conditions.