Storm Zacharias brings chaos to the country. Meteorologists expect storm surges in the north, snow in the Alps and heavy gusts of wind.
Kassel – While the next heat wave is raging in southern Europe severe storms in Austria, Slovenia and Croatia, the weather in the north is again showing its extreme side. The storm “Zacharias” causes chaos in Germany and Northern Europe. Meanwhile, the German Weather Service is warning of heavy rain, storm surges and high wind speeds in the coming days. The storm also brings August snow to the Alps.
German weather service warns of storms on the North and Baltic Sea coasts
The merger of two low-pressure areas, which had moved from Great Britain and Italy towards Poland, caused the storm “Zacharia”, as the NDR had previously reported. Therefore, the Baltic Sea coast in particular is affected by the effects of the storm, as Michael Knobelsdorf from the German Weather Service explained.
That is why the experts from the German Weather Service issued a storm warning for Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg until Tuesday night. The east and west coasts of Schleswig-Holstein are therefore particularly affected. Storm gusts are said to develop at a speed of 60 to 80 kilometers per hour, on Fehmarn and in North Friesland even storm gusts with a speed of up to 100 kilometers per hour are possible.
The Federal Shipping Agency expects storm surges in the north
According to the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency, storm surges can even occur on the North Sea coast. A storm surge occurs when the water level is 1.5 meters above the average high tide. In Husum, Büsum and Hamburg, among others, the experts expect such a water level. At 9:44 p.m., the Federal Office would therefore expect unusually high water levels.
The police in Hamburg had therefore called for the area around the Hamburg Elbe to be avoided and, in particular, to leave lower-lying regions. The port, Hafencity including St. Pauli are particularly affected. Vehicles should also be taken to higher places.
According to Knobelsdorf, weather conditions of this kind are extremely unusual. “We expect such a storm in autumn and not in midsummer”. Meanwhile, the expert warns of falling branches. “I would therefore advise against a walk in the forest,” says Knobelsdorf.
Winter weather in the Alps: Snow line dropped to 2,000 meters
As the Internet portal Wetter Online reports, the weather conditions have also brought snow to the Alps. According to this, Alpine passes are covered with snow, so in some places there is a chain requirement for cars. The snow line has fallen below 2,000 meters in many places, and in some places there has even been snowfall below 1,800 meters.
However, the summer snow does not last long. Warm air from southern Europe is expected to flow in from the Alps this week, so that the snow line would rise again to 4,000 to 4,500 meters.
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