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WEATHER

Cold front set to bring weather chillier than Christmas

The skies above most of Germany remained clear on Wednesday morning. But that is set to change for the weekend, when it could be colder than Christmas 2015.

Published: 11 May 2016 11:50 CEST
Cold front set to bring weather chillier than Christmas
This could be your view on Pentecost Sunday - if you live high up in the Alps. Photo: DPA

Germans hoping for another weekend of beautiful sunshine to celebrate the Pentecost are set to be sorely disappointed, with the German Weather Service (DWD) predicting a plunge in temperatures accompanied by rain and clouds.

As an Arctic weather front moves in the air could in fact be colder than on Christmas of 2015.

Sunbathers will have to wait until the following weekend, when temperatures slowly creep back up into the 20s, before they can start putting their towels back on the lawn.

In the southeast of the country temperatures will peak at between 10 and 11 degrees on Sunday and Monday, and could dip all the way down to a chilly 3 degrees at night. The DWD even warns of the possibility of frost on the ground.

On Christmas Day temperatures in Munich hit 15 degrees, meaning the Pentecost weather is likely to be somewhat cooler.

It could even be a white Pentecost for the people of Bavaria – that is if they live 1,000 metres above sea level in the Alpine region where white flakes could soon be fluttering down.

In Cologne meanwhile, inhabitants rang in the birthday of the Christian messiah in 16-degree sunshine.

On Pentecost, the day when the holy spirit is said to have possessed Jesus’ disciples, the city on the Rhine will be shivering in a maximum 12 degrees, wetter.de reports.

Only in the north and northeast is the mercury set to peak above its festive heights.

In Berlin a high of 13 will outdo the 11 seen on Christmas, and in Hamburg the cooler Christmas high of 9 degrees will be beaten by a stormy and wet Pentecost when temperatures will peak at 13 degrees.

Source: DWD

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FLOODS

German communities brace for flooding as water levels continue to rise

Water levels on the Elbe and Oder rivers in Germany are rising, sparking preparations for floods as the clean-up across central Europe gets underway.

Published: 19 September 2024 10:12 CEST
German communities brace for flooding as water levels continue to rise

As several countries in Europe face the devastating aftermath of severe flooding following torrential rain, communities in some regions of Germany are trying to manage rising water levels. 

According to a forecast by the state flood centre, the water on the Elbe river has not yet reached expected peaks. In the city of Dresden, the Elbe rose above the six-metre mark on Wednesday. There, as well as in Schöna on the border with the Czech Republic, the flood peak is expected on Thursday.

There is a cautious all-clear along other rivers in the east and south of Germany. Further north, however, Brandenburg is looking anxiously at the Oder river, which is expected to bring more water in the coming days.

READ ALSO: Parts of Germany hit by flooding as torrential rain wreaks havoc across central Europe

Flood crisis teams are due to meet in Frankfurt (Oder), located at the border with Poland, and other municipalities in Brandenburg on Thursday. A level 1 flood alert was issued for sections of the river on Wednesday.

According to the State Office for the Environment, floodplains and meadows close to the banks are expected to start flooding, with the areas of the Oder village of Ratzdorf to Eisenhüttenstadt particularly affected.

The state office believes the highest alert level – level 4 – with a water level of around six metres will be reached in the next few days near Ratzdorf, where the Oder reaches Brandenburg territory.

Clean-up work underway in central and eastern Europe

In the flood-hit areas from Poland to the Czech Republic and Austria, the clean-up work has now begun, but the situation is only slowly easing.

In many places, the emergency services are still struggling with masses of water. Soldiers are also providing support in Poland and the Czech Republic. However, the authorities are not yet giving the all-clear. So far, more than 20 people have tragically lost their lives in the region due to the extreme weather.

In the Polish city of Wroclaw in the west of the country, the flood wave was not expected until Thursday night. As several tributaries that also carry a lot of water flow into the Oder between Olawa and Wroclaw, the possibility of flooding in the Lower Silesian metropolis cannot be ruled out, said an expert.

Flooding in Bresgau Poland

A drone captures the high water levels in Bresgau, Poland, on September 19th. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/PAP | Maciej Kulczynski

Flood defences in Wroclaw have been reinforced as a precautionary measure. One third of the city of 630,000 inhabitants was flooded during the Oder flood in 1997.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to visit Poland on Thursday afternoon. According to the EU Commission, the trip is being organised at the invitation of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, his Slovakian counterpart Robert Fico and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer are also expected to attend the meeting.

The talks are likely to focus on the question of funds from Brussels for reconstruction although the extent of the damage is still unclear.

With reporting from DPA

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