Current flood warnings: Focus on levels on the Baltic Sea!

Current flood warnings: Focus on levels on the Baltic Sea!

Greifswald, Deutschland - Now it's time to be careful again! Today, June 19, 2025, everything revolves around the current levels on the Baltic Sea coast in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The measuring stations in Wismar, Warnemünde, Althagen, Barth, Stralsund, Sassnitz and Greifswald are on the alarm level. The values ​​from these regions are crucial for flood protection and the safety of the population, such as the Ostsee-Zeitung reported.

The terms "medium low water" (MNW) and "medium flood" (MHW) are interesting, which should be remembered. The MNW describes the average low water level over a certain period of time, while the MHW concerns the average of the flood level, especially in tide -influenced waters. For Warnemünde, the current values ​​are 507 cm for the medium water level, 407 cm for the MNW and 617 cm for the MHW. The highest flood level, which was measured on November 13, 1872 with 770 cm, is impressive. The opposite is the lowest water level of 332 cm, which was recorded on October 18, 1967.

How to classify storm floods

Real focus should also be on the storm surges that are divided into different classes on the Baltic Sea coast. A storm surge is registered from 1.00 m above the middle water level. This division extends to very heavy storm surges in which the level increases over 2.00 m. This illustrates the important role that the monitoring of these natural events plays.

If you look at the past few years, flood protection has gained a lot of importance. The last large storm surge in October caused damage of 56 million euros. The city of Sassnitz needs around 42 million euros to restore the infrastructure. Tourist facilities, port protection systems and the beaches that often had to record sand losses are particularly affected.

alert and behavior in the event of floods

In the event of flooding, the alert willingness of the responsible institutions is decisive. These range from the federal government, countries to police to the fire brigade. The flood center is active when dangerous levels are reached. The population is warned of various channels, including radio, television, speaker cars, sirens and modern media such as websites, warning apps and social media. A cool acting is in demand here. If there is a storm surge, it is advisable to turn off electricity and gas, to secure important things and create supplies.

In emergency situations, you also have to provide hand luggage, pack the necessary equipment together and search for protection on higher floors. Anyone who observes these simple points can take the situation much more relaxed.

flood as a global problem

But not only the Baltic Sea coast is affected. Flood is one of the most common natural disasters internationally. According to Statista since 2000, almost 37 percent of all natural disasters worldwide. Climate change also plays a role: a warmer atmosphere can keep more water, which leads to more common and more intensive heavy rain.

experts point out that around 400,000 people, especially along the Rhine, will be threatened by floods in the future. Protecting natural flood areas is important to minimize future damage and make the infrastructure safer.