The storm surge in northern Germany was lower than predicted. At the Hamburg fish market, the water only spilled over a little. However, another warning is to be expected.
Hamburg – The announced storm tide on the German North Sea coast kept the flooding within bounds and caused no surprises.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) said that some of the highs would be “quite a bit lower” than predicted. Water levels were expected to be up to one meter higher than the average high water level on the East Frisian coast, up to 1.5 meters higher on the North Frisian coast and in the Weser and Elbe area, and around 1.5 meters higher in the Hamburg Elbe area.
Some water spilled over
At the Hamburg fish market, which is often flooded in similar situations, the water only spilled over a little, reported passers-by. The police spoke to drivers in the area near the Elbe personally and asked them to park their vehicles – the request had previously been made via Twitter.
⚠ Storm surge warning for #Hamburg
The evening flood on January 27, 2022 at 11:19 p.m. is expected to be 3.40 m to 3.90 m above sea level.
Remove vehicles beforehand (❗) from endangered areas.
More information about #storm surge 👇https://t.co/KdbqD0E9nx#EinsatzfuerHamburg #HH2701 pic.twitter.com/QqZQ17AFvF— HAMBURG FIRE DEPARTMENT (@FeuerwehrHH) January 27, 2022
The flood situation will calm down again in the short term when the next flood occurs, but another warning is to be expected at the weekend, which could also be “much more pronounced”, emphasized the BSH spokeswoman. Wind forces of up to 8 and gusts of up to 10 were expected on the coast on Thursday.
One speaks of a storm surge on the North Sea coast when the flood water is at least 1.5 meters higher than normal. A severe or very severe storm surge is only spoken of from values of 2.5 or 3.5 meters. dpa
