Storm surge warning: Baltic Sea region is preparing for flooding!

In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania there are currently warnings about higher water levels on the Baltic Sea coast. The weather service sounded the alarm after water levels began rising on Friday evening. According to that NDR The storm surge warning applies to the entire Baltic Sea coast, from the Bay of Kiel in Schleswig-Holstein to the small lagoon in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Stralsund in particular is expected to be more affected than Wismar.

The Federal Institute for Hydraulic Engineering (BSH) assumes that the water levels west and east of Rügen and in the Bay of Lübeck will be between 0.5 and 1 meter above mean water. Possibly up to 95 centimeters above the mean water level is forecast for the Bay of Kiel. In Koserow on Usedom a maximum of 1.15 meters can be expected.

Measuring stations and water level data

Measuring stations in the region, including in Wismar, Warnemünde, Althagen, Barth, Stralsund, Sassnitz and Greifswald, continuously record the current water levels. The definitions of “mean low water” (MNW) and “mean high water” (MHW) are particularly important for the population. For Warnemünde the MNW is 407 cm and the MHW is 617 cm. The highest flood level was recorded there at 770 cm on November 13, 1872, while the lowest water level at 332 cm was measured on October 18, 1967.

The storm surge classes used to assess the current situation range from a storm surge of 1.00 to 1.25 m above the mean water level to very severe storm surges of over 2.00 m. In the event of flooding, various institutions, including flood control centers, federal, state and police, warn the population via various media such as radio, television and social media.

The last severe storm surge in October caused damage amounting to 56 million euros. Of this, the city of Sassnitz needs 42 million euros to restore its infrastructure and 6 million euros to repair sand loss on beaches and dunes through artificial nourishment, such as Baltic Sea newspaper reported.

Meteorological conditions are contributing to the current storm surge warning, with strong to stormy gusts blowing from the west to the north. In Greifswald, the barrier could be closed to minimize possible damage.