Sturmflut Bernd brings chaos on the North Sea coast of Schleswig-Holstein!

A storm surge on the North Sea coast of Schleswig-Holstein had an impact on the region on the morning of January 7, 2025. In Dagebüll (North Friesland district), the water rose over two meters above the normal flood. As a result, the ferry pier was rinsed in Dagebüll, which resulted in failures and timetable changes at the Wyker steamship shipping company. The new Pellwormer Dampfschiffahrts GmbH (NPDG) canceled the first two connections between Nordstrand and Pellworm, but plans to resume traffic in the morning.

The storm low "Bernd" in Schleswig-Holstein provided a total of around 350 weather-related operations by the fire brigade and the police. The districts of Ostholstein, Duchy of Lauenburg and Lübeck were particularly affected, where over 100 missions were recorded. In Kiel, a large tree fell on two cars that were badly damaged. A single-family house had to be cleared in Todenbüttel (Rendsburg-Eckernförde district) after the storm could raise the roof structure. The north of the country, on the other hand, was largely spared.

impairments in traffic

The storm low "Bernd" also led to considerable restrictions on rail traffic, especially on the ICE route Hamburg-Berlin and the connections to Sylt and Lübeck. Trains to Sylt currently only drive at a reduced speed, which leads to delays. This applies to numerous passengers and travel traffic in the region.

In a survey by NDR, almost eight out of ten people in Schleswig-Holstein expressed that they feel the shortage of skilled workers in everyday life. Of the over 4,600 participants, 40 % of the entrepreneurs also reported a lack of specialist staff. In the meantime, the Greens started their nationwide election campaign in Lübeck with around 1,200 participants, including Chancellor candidate Robert Habeck and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. In current surveys, the party was last between 10 and 14 percent.

The weather forecast announces occasional showers for the region, partly with snow or pub, with maximum values ​​between 5 and 7 degrees. A moderate to fresh wind from southwest is expected, accompanied by strong to stormy gusts, which leads to increased water levels on the Elbe and North Sea as well as flood and storm surge.

In a further context, the "Bernd" fall flood in the summer of 2021 as the heaviest natural disaster in Germany in the recent past caused an insured overall damage of around 8.4 billion euros, as the data of the overall association of the German Insurance Industry (GDV) show. The district of Ahrweiler in Rhineland-Palatinate was particularly affected, where the average building damage due to extreme weather events between 2002 and 2021 was 109,000 euros. Overall, many regions in Germany have significant damage caused by flood and heavy rain.