Severe storm surge predicted for German North Sea coast

Severe storm surges are predicted for Friday morning for the Elbe, Weser and Ems rivers draining into the North Sea, the German Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) said on Thursday, reported dpa.

Water levels are predicted to rise by more than 2.5 metres above average high tide between 8 am and 12 noon (0700-1100 GMT).

Severe storm surges are defined as 2.5 metres above average high tide and upwards. The states affected are the city states of Hamburg and Bremen and the state of Lower Saxony.

The announcement was not yet an official warning, Jennifer Brauch of the BSH forecasting service for the North Sea and Baltic Sea said. This will be issued at around midnight when the storm surge expected for Thursday evening, for which a warning has been issued, has passed.

The Thursday evening storm surge could potentially rise to a severe storm surge. "We are now seeing a trend that suggests it could turn into a severe storm surge on Thursday evening," Brauch said. This would depend on the wind.

Water levels along the North Sea coast of between 1.5 and 2 metres above average high tide were expected for Thursday, with higher levels up to 2.5 metres on the Elbe and Weser.

The shallow North Sea is prone to surges. The 1962 North Sea flood devastated Hamburg, wrecking thousands of homes and claiming hundreds of lives. The 1953 North Sea flood hit the Netherlands, Belgium, England and Scotland, leaving more than 2,000 dead, mostly in the Netherlands.