Southern Germany is grappling with devastating floods as water levels continue to rise, spreading along the Danube River into Austria and Hungary.
The historic city of Passau, located at the confluence of three rivers, has seen water levels surge close to 10 meters (32 feet), the highest in over a decade. The Danube has burst its banks, causing significant flooding in areas such as Linz, Austria’s third-largest city, where river levels reached 6.86 meters and are expected to peak later today.
In Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, the heavy rains have led to the deaths of five people. One victim was a woman whose car was submerged after leaving the road west of Munich. Additionally, a Bavarian firefighter remains missing.
Despite the German weather service, DWD, declaring an end to the torrential rain, the floodwaters continue to pose a serious threat. Bavarian State Premier Markus Söder has described the situation as “serious and critical.” Authorities have declared a state of emergency in the Rosenheim area of Bavaria, where the flooding has been particularly severe.
In Austria, river traffic along the Danube has been halted in the Lower Austria region due to the flooding. In Hungary, forecasters have warned of significant rainfall in the coming days, with the National Water Directorate’s Gabriella Siklos indicating that the situation is changing by the hour. Concerns are also mounting that the rising water levels could affect the Danube floodplain in Slovakia.
The floods have disrupted cargo shipping on the Rhine in southern Germany, particularly near Ludwigshafen. However, authorities in Baden-Württemberg anticipate that water levels will begin to fall in the coming days.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized that the flooding is a stark reminder of the urgency to address man-made climate change. He stressed that measures to halt climate change cannot be neglected.
As the situation evolves, rescue operations continue, and residents brace for further impacts. The floods have left parts of southern Germany in what experts describe as once-in-a-century rainfall conditions, sweeping away cars and inundating residential areas.
