Floods and hurricanes hit Europe

Overflowing rivers threaten Germany and the Netherlands as water levels rise in the Rhine and Elbe rivers.

In the United Kingdom, weather warnings are for tornadoes caused by Storm Gerrit.

Floods threaten several river basins in parts of Europe, with areas around the Elbe River mainly at risk. In the German city of Dresden, the river level rose four meters above normal. The capital of the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, Magdeburg, northwest of the city of Dresden, was at risk of flooding.

For the first time since the 2013 floods, the flood gates of a canal were opened to relieve river water. A third of the water volume is then fed into the more than two-mile-long Pritzener Wier Canal, which was built in 1870.

The Rhine has risen

Even in the federal state of Thuringia, authorities were forced to act due to water threats. Several hundred residents of Windhausen were forced to leave their homes, but on Thursday many of them were able to return, among other things, after electricity supplies were restored and the risk of flooding decreased.

The level of the Rhine River also rose to high levels, and the danger was greater for residents of the town of Lupeth in the Netherlands, close to the German border. But water levels in the Rhine River are expected to fall next week.

Flood warnings were also issued in Hungary, as the capital, Budapest, witnessed the Danube River flooding its riverbeds. The danger increased due to heavy rains and the amount of snow that melted.

Verfelstormer and Manchester

In Great Britain, it was tornadoes that caused the most problems, with Storm Gerrit progressing over Tameside in the Manchester area, among others. Authorities said roofs were blown off houses and trees fell during the tornadoes, posing a “public safety risk.”

Ferry services between Dover and French ports were delayed due to high winds, while parts of Scotland were left without power.

In the Lake District in northwest England, record amounts of rain were measured during the advance of Storm Gerrit. Nearly half the amount of rain normally measured in December fell.