Flood risk remains high in parts of Germany, town evacuated

The German Weather Service (DWD) continues to warn against the risk of flooding in parts of Germany due to persistent rainfall in several regions.

In the central state of Thuringia, the flooding around the village of Windehausen led to the evacuation of an entire district of about 500 people on Christmas Day.

Residents were strongly advised to leave their homes, but would not be forced out, authorities said. They were taken to a nearby sports hall.

Thuringia Premier Bodo Ramelow said he hoped people would be able to return home soon, but added that the situation in Windehausen could last days.

Rail travel was interrupted between Hanover and Magdeburg after ballast under the track was washed away between Magdeburg and Helmstedt. The interruption was expected to last until Wednesday.

A storm surge was predicted for late 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.

Bremen and Bremerhaven on the Weser and Wilhelmshaven on the North Sea were among the cities affected.

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.

State Environment Minister Oliver Krischer said the situation remained tense. It was far too soon to sound the all-clear, he said.

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 were particularly badly affected by flooding and high water levels.

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.