Coastal warning: Mini storm floods shock Rügen's bathers!

Coastal warning: Mini storm floods shock Rügen's bathers!

Binz, Deutschland - The North German beaches lived through a dramatic change on Saturday, July 12th. As the Ostsee-Zeitung Popular holiday regions such as Rügen and Usedom only a few meters wide and almost completely disappeared in some places. This mini storm surge was a direct episode of the stormy weather and a dissolving gravure area that pulled across Poland.

With a wind of strength five from southwest, the Binz Bay became particularly susceptible to changes in water levels. Unfortunately, however, the dreaded rescue operations of the German Life Rettungs Society (DLRG) failed to materialize at the weekend, although the red flag was hoisted to warn swimmers of dangerous currents. The situation may have been locally, but the German Weather Service (DWD) has noticed that the water levels on the entire German Baltic Sea coast rose. They are currently showing an unusually high level for the summer months.

rising water levels and storm flood warnings

The Stern reports that in the coming days a more severe storm flood of up to 1.50 meters or more over the middle flood is expected. The Flensburg Fjord is considered a hotspot, where the water levels could even climb up to 2.00 meters above the normal value. Environment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt asked the residents to be attentive and inform themselves in good time because the storm surge could last up to 40 hours.

Not only the German coasts are influenced. The authorities are already active in Denmark, warn residents and vacationers in the south and east to leave the coastal areas until Friday morning. At the same time, the storm flood warnings for the ferry connections between Rostock and Gedser mean an additional challenge, since these also have to fail due to the high water level. The Danish meteorological institute has predicted that the water levels could rise up to 2.4 meters above the normal value.

The story behind storm floods

A look into the past shows that the region has already experienced some storm surges in the past. As the Deutschlandfunk reported, a serious storm surge caused massive damage to material in October 2023 than several dikes. So far, only directly inhabited areas have been largely spared by storm surges, but with climate change, the likelihood of such events has become potentially increased. So far, long -term observations have not shown significant increase in storm surges, but a global increase in sea level is still predicted, which the region presents with great challenges.

The coming days will be decisive. Residents on the Baltic Sea coast and beyond must be prepared and adapt to sudden changes. It is to be hoped that the precautionary measures of the authorities will be sufficient to avert the potential dangers that the storm surges can bring.