Flood warning in Dresden: Elbe rises! What to consider now

Flood warning in Dresden: Elbe rises! What to consider now

This day, June 16, 2025, the residents are looking at the current water levels along the Elbe, one of the largest rivers in Europe. This magnificent river rises in the Czech Republic and winds through East Germany to the North Sea, whereby it also flows through important places such as Dresden, Dessau and Magdeburg. The situation is particularly important for the city of Dresden, where the water levels are decisive for potential floods. So reports Sächsische.de that current flood warnings for Saxony are to be taken seriously.

The flood warning levels are clearly defined: alarm level 1 already shows a small flood, while alarm level 2 stands for medium floods, the grassland flooded. In extreme cases, with an alarm level 4, larger areas must be feared. The city of Dresden keeps keeping its citizens up to date via websites, radio and social media.

Current levels and developments

The water level of the Elbe has shown some movements in the last 24 hours. In Dresden, the height dropped to 78 cm on June 15 after it had previously been 99 cm. This situation is particularly worth mentioning, since the "medium low water" (MNW) was measured at 67 cm and the "medium flood" (MHW) at 458 cm over a period of ten years. elwis.de provides interesting data that document the development of the water levels. However, the last measured values of June 16 are still pending.

An overview of the water levels in different cities shows that the values overall tends to fall, which on the one hand is gratifying, but also underlines the explosiveness of the situation. The level in Schöna is 115 cm and in Wittenberg at 119 cm on June 12th, which also recorded declines in the following days.

what the future brings

The predictions for possible flood events are always subject to a certain risk. As the Environment Ministry of Saxony emphasizes on its pages, local floods from heavy rain are often unexpectedly and not specifically predicted. This is how the citizen is asked to be vigilant and to be aware of the flood centers in the event of any warnings. A call to the LHWZ registration center or a look at the information available online can help to keep up to date.

The course of the next few days will show whether the citizens along the Elbe must remain attentive observers or whether the situation calms down. In any case, there are currently no flood warnings in the Dresden area, and the hope of low water remains. But as we all know, nature is unpredictable!