Current levels: Baltic Sea threatens new storm surgery!
Current levels: Baltic Sea threatens new storm surgery!
Sassnitz, Deutschland - The Baltic Sea pays tribute to the forces of nature again and again. Today, on June 22, 2025, the current levels in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania throw a clear light on the events on the coast. The region has to deal with different flood stalls regularly, and the topic of storm surge is as brand new as rarely before.
like the Ostsee-Zeitung The measuring stations in Wismar, Warnemünde, Althagen, Barth, Stralsund, Sassnitz and Greifswald always use to monitor the water levels. The average water level in Warnemünde, for example, was 507 cm over the past ten years, while the medium low water (MNW) is 407 cm and the mean flood (MHW) at 617 cm. Record values are shown in history: The highest flood level of 770 cm was measured on November 13, 1872.
storm floods in focus
The storm floods on the German Baltic Sea coast are divided into the categories storm surge (1.00 - 1.25 m above a medium water level), middle storm surge (1.25 - 1.50 m) and heavy storm surge (1.50 - 2.00 m). A very heavy storm surge even has values over 2.00 m. And the current situation is alarming: a heavy storm surge caused massive damage of over 56 million euros in October 2023. The city of Sassnitz in particular reported a financial requirement of around 42 million euros for the restoration of the infrastructure, which suffered strongly from the conditions of the storm surge.
These events do not happen in isolation. As the information from the Federal Office for Sea Shearing and Hydrography ( BSH ), five storm floods and two low water events were recorded in the season 2022/2023. As a reminder: storm floods arise from strong wind that presses water against the coast, while flooding is mainly caused 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 flood of storms, the responsible institutions - the federal government, countries, circles, police and fire brigade - are active. There are numerous warning channels that range from personal warnings to digital advertising boards to social media. If you want to take precautions, you should park electricity and gas, secure important things and provide supplies of food and drinking water. In the case of evacuation requests, it is said: Provide hand luggage and visit higher places.
A common phenomenon is that storm floods in Germany usually occur between October and April. Hamburg has an average of around six storm floods per season, with the storm surge in October 2023 the heaviest for 150 years and caused enormous damage. So far, long -term observations show no significant increase in storm surges, but long -term forecasts of the IPCC warn of up to 1.8 meters to 2100.
The coast is currently only 30 percent, which increases the pressure on the existing infrastructure. In view of possible more intensive storm surges in the future, dikes must be built higher or moved to the interior. In addition to these classic methods, natural -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 natural forces. It remains to be seen how the coming weeks will develop and whether the region can continue to deal with the force of nature.
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| Ort | Sassnitz, Deutschland |
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