Baltic water levels could rise 1.4 metres above normal

Water levels along the Baltic coast could rise to between 1.1 and 1.4 metres above normal from late Saturday until Sunday morning, DR reports. The highest levels are expected on Sunday morning along the coast of southern Jutland and in its fjords.

Forecasts are uncertain, but low-lying areas across much of the Baltic region could be flooded, as could harbours, DR weather presenter Anders Brandt said. The Danish Meteorological Institute has issued a warning for the western Baltic from 11pm Saturday until 10am Sunday.

A low-pressure system moving from east to west just south of Denmark is expected to bring strengthening north-easterly winds, reaching gale force. The winds will push large amounts of water from the eastern Baltic into the Danish part of the sea.

In Sønderborg, a town in southern Jutland, water levels could exceed 1.3 metres. If they do, it will be the third time in seven years that levels have been higher there. The municipality has cordoned off an area for the weekend and has made sand and sandbags available to residents at two locations since Friday afternoon.

Water levels in Sønderborg reached 1.5 metres in 2022 and peaked at 2.1 metres during the storm surge in October 2023, which was the most severe in more than 100 years.