High water cancels four Ærø ferry departures on Sunday

Four Ærø ferry departures between the island and Funen have been cancelled on Sunday because of elevated water levels, DR reports.

The 7:20 and 10:20 departures from Søby to Faaborg are cancelled, as are the 8:50 and 11:50 departures from Faaborg. The ferry normally takes 75 minutes to cross between Funen and Ærø.

The Danish Meteorological Institute has warned of a risk of elevated water levels from Saturday evening until Sunday. Levels are expected to peak on Sunday morning and fall quickly through the morning, but the forecast remains uncertain because small changes in wind speed and direction can have a significant effect.

Increasing northerly winds over the Baltic on Saturday are pushing water south. The wind is expected to turn northeast and strengthen to gale force, with the possibility of strong gusts, pushing water west and causing it to accumulate in the western Baltic and Danish waters as far as the southern Little Belt.

In Sønderborg, water levels reached 1.50 metres in 2022 and peaked at 2.10 metres during the October 2023 storm surge, which DR describes as the most severe in more than 100 years. The municipality has cordoned off an area for the weekend, and residents have been able to collect sand and bags at two locations in the town since Friday afternoon.