Flooding, storm surges across Germany amid constant rain

The German weather service (DWD) predicted flooding in parts of the country and storm surges along the northern coast as rain persisted on Christmas Day, reported dpa.

Rain also was forecast to continue into Tuesday.

In the central state of Thuringia, the village of Windehausen was surrounded by water and its around 400 residents would be completely evacuated in the course of the day, state Premier Bodo Ramelow posted on X, formerly Twitter.

"My hope is that all those affected by flooding will be able to return home soon," he posted. The villagers are to be accommodated in a sports hall as water levels of up to 70 centimetres were recorded.

A storm surge is predicted for later on Monday on the Elbe river in Hamburg, with levels forecast of 1.5 metres above average high water, the BSH hydrographic agency reported. It also forecast surges on the Weser and along the North Sea coast in general.

Rivers and streams in Lower Saxony remained at high levels. A care home in the city of Celle had to be evacuated as a precautionary measure. Oldenburg issued an order prohibiting walking along dykes and adjacent paths.

In North Rhine Westphalia, tributaries to the Weser are particularly affected, according to the LANUV environmental and consumer protection agency, with the highest alert level exceeded at several measuring stations.

Measures were taken to stabilize dykes in certain areas in the state.

The authorities also remained on the alert in Saxony-Anhalt to the east, while the situation eased in Rhineland-Palatinate bordering France in the south-west.

Water levels were declining on the Upper Rhine up to and including Worms. After the Moselle hit a high at Trier in the early hours of Monday, water levels started to decline.

The situation was also easing in Bavaria in the south of the country. "We will continue to monitor, but as there is no major new precipitation, the high water level can be expected to decline," a spokesman for the state's flooding agency said.

The areas of Franconia and eastern Bavaria in the state were particularly badly affected by flooding and high water levels. A canoeist who capsized on the Naab was able to reach safety on his own.

The DWD predicted continuing rainfall across many German regions, particularly in the western highlands and in the Harz Mountains in the centre of the country. Meanwhile a snow thaw was persisting in the Ore Mountains along the Czech border in the east, swelling rivers.

It warned that landslides were possible in many areas as the country remained under mild and moist air. The rains would persist into Tuesday, the DWD said.

In Berlin, a couple of dozen people went for a traditional swim in the Orankesee in untraditionally warm temperatures. The water temperature in the lake measured 5 degrees Celsius, while the air temperature was an unseasonably mild 10 degrees.

Christmas songs and mulled wine helped to warm the swimmers in an event organized every year by the Berlin Seals Club.