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Current water levels: Baltic Sea threatens to issue new storm surge alert!
Find out the current water levels of the Baltic Sea in Western Pomerania-Rügen on June 22nd, 2025 as well as warnings and storm surge information.
Current water levels: Baltic Sea threatens to issue new storm surge alert!
The Baltic Sea continues to pay tribute to the forces of nature. Today, June 22, 2025, the current water levels in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania shed a clear light on what is happening on the coast. The region regularly has to deal with varying levels of flooding, and the issue of storm surges is more topical than ever before.
Like the Ostsee-Zeitung reported, the measuring stations in Wismar, Warnemünde, Althagen, Barth, Stralsund, Sassnitz and Greifswald are always in use to monitor the water levels. For example, the mean water level in Warnemünde over the last ten years has been 507 cm, while the mean low water (MNW) is 407 cm and the mean high water (MHW) is 617 cm. Record values can be seen in history: the highest flood level of 770 cm was measured on November 13, 1872.
Storm surges in focus
The storm surges on the German Baltic Sea coast are divided into the categories storm surge (1.00 - 1.25 m above average water level), medium storm surge (1.25 - 1.50 m) and severe storm surge (1.50 - 2.00 m). A very severe storm surge even has values over 2.00 m. And the current situation is alarming: a severe storm surge in October 2023 caused massive damage of over 56 million euros. The city of Sassnitz in particular reported a financial need of around 42 million euros to restore the infrastructure, which suffered greatly from the storm surge conditions.
These events do not happen in isolation. As the information from the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency ( BSH ), explain, five storm surges and two low water events were recorded in the 2022/2023 season. As a reminder, storm surges are caused by strong winds pushing water against the coast, while floods are caused primarily by rain. Climate change and rising sea levels increase the likelihood and intensity of these natural phenomena.
Preparations and warnings
In the event of an impending storm surge, the responsible institutions - federal, state, district, police and fire brigade - are active. There are numerous warning channels, ranging from personal alerts to digital billboards to social media. If you want to take precautions, you should turn off electricity and gas, secure important things and provide supplies of food and drinking water. In the case of evacuation notices, the following applies: provide hand luggage and go to higher places.
A common phenomenon is that storm surges in Germany usually occur between October and April. Hamburg records an average of around six storm surges per season, with the storm surge in October 2023 being the worst in 150 years and causing enormous damage. So far, long-term observations show no significant increase in storm surges, but long-term forecasts from the IPCC warn of sea level rise of up to 1.8 meters by 2100.
The coast is currently only 30 percent diked, which increases the pressure on the existing infrastructure. In view of possible more intense storm surges in the future, dikes will have to be built higher or moved inland. In addition to these classic methods, nature-based coastal protection measures are becoming increasingly important to protect the coastline in the long term.
A well-informed and prepared audience is the best protection against the forces of nature. It remains to be seen how the coming weeks will develop and whether the region can continue to cope with the force of nature.