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FLOODS

German flood situation remains tense but relief in sight as rain stops

With dryer forecasts ahead, it's good news for Germany's bloated rivers, but the flood situation remains tense in some parts of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, in particular.

Published: 6 January 2024 20:26 CET
Fire department vehicles drive along a flooded bank of the Helme river in Oberroeblingen, eastern Germany
Fire department vehicles drive along a flooded bank of the Helme river in Oberroeblingen, eastern Germany, on January 4, 2024. Relief is in sight for some of the worst affected areas with dryer forecasts ahead. (Photo by JOHN MACDOUGALL / AFP)

Thousands of emergency services, including Technical Relief Agency THW, fire departments and the police, are still on duty because of the flooding, said a spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior in Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony, on Saturday.

Although the ground remains saturated from the rain “the weather forecasts are favourable to us because there is no longer such heavy rainfall,” he said.

Saxony-Anhalt

In the flood area in Saxony-Anhalt, the water levels of the Thyra – which flows into the Helme from Harz – have fallen slightly, a spokesperson for the Mansfeld-Südharz district told DPA on Saturday.

The river burst its banks in places just before the end of 2023.

German soldiers have also been deployed here since Friday to help stabilise a section of the dike – the first deployment of the army in the current flood situation.

Saxony

The weather is expected to turn colder this weekend, with incoming frost expected to help ease the situation in the flood area, according to a local spokesperson.

READ ALSO: Germany braces for blast of snow and freezing temperatures

There is also relief in sight for the flooded Elbe in Saxony.

As the state’s Flood Centre announced on Saturday, there has been hardly any rain recorded in the Saxon and Czech Elbe catchment areas since Friday.

Looking forward, only a small amount of precipitation is expected there in the coming days, and this is forecast to turn into snow from Saturday evening.

Lower Saxony

Experts think that some rivers in Lower Saxony have now reached their peaks, but water levels are expected to stay high for the time being or only fall slowly, Saturday’s situation report from the flood forecast centre of the State Office for Water Management, Coastal Protection and Nature Conservation (NLWKN) showed.

Numerous water gauges in the state still reported a level three – the highest level – on Saturday, specifically the catchment areas of the rivers Aller, Leine, Oker, Hase, Hunte and Weser.

But experts say there are signs the flood situation on the Aller, Leine and Oker rivers will ease, as virtually no new rainfall is forecast from Sunday.

Nonetheless, water levels are expected to remain high on the Aller and Leine until next week, they said.

READ ALSO: What parts of Germany are hardest hit by flooding?

The flood situation is still being considered an “extraordinary event” in the city of Oldenburg, as well as the districts of Celle, Oldenburg, Emsland, Osterholz, the Heidekreis and Verden, which were particularly badly affected by the flood, a spokesman for the Lower Saxony Ministry of the Interior said.

This status means that districts or cities can access support workers more easily, but the state has not requested assistance from the army so far, the Ministry said.

However, the Bundeswehr did prepare for a possible deployment on Friday and put forces from the 1st Panzer Division on standby.

North Rhine-Westphalia

The flood situation in North Rhine-Westphalia remains tense but stable, according to the state’s Ministry for the Environment.

On Saturday, a Ministry spokesperson said that water levels were mostly decreasing.

High water levels are expected to continue next week, but with a decreasing trend on the Rhine.

Rhineland-Palatinate

In Rhineland-Palatinate, Rhine water levels are already falling, and the flood forecast centre said it does not expect them to rise again next week.

Saarland

Water levels on rivers in Saarland are also falling and, despite rain and light snowfall, further rises are not anticipated, the Saarland flood situation report from Saturday showed.

Hesse

The flood situation in Hesse has also eased with the prolonged period of rain coming to an end.

Water levels are falling on the Hessian sections of the Rhine and Main, the Hessian State Office for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology (HLNUG) in Wiesbaden said on Saturday morning.

Nationwide

The weather is changing throughout the country: “The exceptionally mild westerly weather that has been going on for weeks, which has brought us lots of rain and floods, is now finally coming to an end,” said meteorologist Christian Herold of the German Weather Service (DWD).

“The weather situation is fundamentally changing to winter,” he said.

Temperatures are no longer forecast to exceed zero during the day and snow is expected – especially in the north and the south of the country.

Central German regions, meanwhile, should expect frost.

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WEATHER

More rain forecast as storms hit western Germany

Severe storms and heavy rain affected parts of Germany on Thursday, creating disruptions. More rain is forecast on Friday but weather warnings have been lifted.

Published: 3 May 2024 09:53 CEST
More rain forecast as storms hit western Germany

Major storms hit western Germany on Thursday, causing travel disruption and flooding. 

In parts of Baden-Württemberg, streets were flooded and rivers swelled. Bisingen, southwest of Tübingen, was particularly hard hit, with cellars and streets plunged under water.

Police said there was also traffic disruption. In Baden-Württemberg’s state capital Stuttgart, severe storms and lightning caused issues and some roads were closed.

A lightning strike in the Sigmaringen area resulted in a broken signal box on the railway line. According to Deutsche Bahn, no train journeys were possible in the region in the early evening with several delays and cancellations.

Other states were also affected.

There were around 300 relief operations in the Ahrweiler district in Rhineland-Palatinate, which was hit by the 2021 deadly flood disaster.

Police said no-on was injured, although basements and streets were flooded. The water levels of the Ahr were being closely monitored.

Emergency services in Bisingen on Thursday.

Emergency services in Bisingen on Thursday. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Silas Stein

In Trier, too, streets were flooded after heavy rain and there were hailstorms. The Koblenz police headquarters reported fallen trees. Significant property damage due to full cellars and flooded streets was also reported in some areas. 

Heavy showers also fell in Hesse, accompanied by thunder storms. In Frankfurt, according to the fire department, the heavy rain caused water to enter the Bethanien Hospital and even reach the intensive care unit of the clinic.

“We were able to contain the damage relatively quickly and prevent it from spreading,” said fire department spokesman Thorben Schemmel, adding that no patients were affected.

In Rhineland-Palatinate, the Eifel region was particularly affected, with reports of flooded streets after heavy rain and hailstorms.

North Rhine-Westphalia also saw storms late in the afternoon on Thursday. 

The German Weather Service (DWD) said it expected some heavy rain and hail in parts of the country on Friday – particularly in the west – and at the weekend but warnings of severe weather have been lifted. 

The DWD said there could still be one or two strong thunderstorms in the northeast on Friday. However, it will be a significantly quieter day compared to Thursday. Temperatures of up to 25C can be expected.

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