Hurricane “Nadia” left clear traces at the weekend – especially in northern Germany. There were also sand losses on several islands. But the new week does not bring pleasant weather either.
Offenbach/Hamburg – The damage from the hurricane “Nadia” is still being repaired, as the next uncomfortable low pressure areas are already approaching.
They bring less wind, but significantly more rain and a lot of snow in the mountains to Germany. A first balance of the weekend speaks of comparatively manageable financial damage.
“Nadia” swept across northern Germany with dangerous gusts. In Beelitz, Brandenburg, a pedestrian died because an election poster was blown over and fell on him. In Bremen, a person suffered serious injuries when a tree fell on him, and in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a 16-year-old had an accident.
The storm also caused sand losses on many East Frisian islands. “Our beach is gone,” said Wangerooge’s island mayor Marcel Fangohr on Monday after the storm and waves had weakened. Up to 2.50 meters high cliffs are now piling up around 800 meters in length on the island’s beach, according to him. The loss of sand on the dunes in the northeast of the North Sea island can be seen even more clearly.
Dune collapses also occurred on the North Frisian islands of Sylt, Föhr and Amrum. Due to the still high water levels, the exact damage can probably only be determined in the coming days. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, “Nadia” knocked down more than 100,000 trees in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s forests. “It’s not a catastrophe, but it’s a significant amount,” said Minister Till Backhaus. The years of drought would have impaired the stability of the trees.
According to experts, the storm caused insured damage of around 150 million euros. The insurance broker Aon said on Monday based on initial estimates in Hamburg that it was a small storm event and not to be compared with the destruction caused by storm “Bernd” in July 2021.
The German Weather Service (DWD) is also expecting precipitation and sometimes stormy winds in the new week. The snow line is initially on the ground in the south-east and 400 meters in the north-west, but according to the meteorologists it rises to 600 to 900 meters over the course of the day.
Especially in the southern and eastern low mountain ranges, there will be 10 to 20 centimeters of fresh snow, and in the Alps 30 to 50 centimeters. In addition, there is a risk of snowdrifts at high altitudes. The maximum temperatures on Tuesday are between zero degrees and six degrees on the Lower Rhine, on Wednesday the temperatures are likely to rise slightly.
In the Alps, where a total of up to one meter of fresh snow falls, the avalanche danger increases significantly. At lower altitudes, there is a risk of slippery roads, especially at night, due to freezing wet conditions. dpa
