We now resume the regularly scheduled winter

It got wintry again right after everything got all warm and moist. The transition period looked a little weird.

The river is behaving normally again; all the emergency barricades are hidden away. The water is still higher than normal and moving fast, but not alarmingly so. Cresting last week on the left, receding this week on the right:





Six Meters and Falling*

view from the Steinerne Brücke North -- P1151436We’ve seen some high water around here, but never like this. The last time it got this high was in 1988.

SDC10363

Rettungsdienst Swimmers - PC181339Rettungsdienst Swimmers - PC181343

Here’s what it looked like about a week ago. This is high; normally the lower pylon platform is exposed, such that the Rettungsdienst swimmer dudes can set up their annual Weihnachtsbaum on it. But it’s not really unusual for it to be that high.

P1151443High is when the upper level of the pylon is nearly submerged.

P1151433Practically overnight temporary barriers popped up all over the place. I guess they work; look at the foot traffic just on the other side of them. These people are not walking on the path: they’re walking through the bushes alongside the path. The path is on the otherside of the wall from them.

For comparison’s sake:

Before This Week
Sorat Hotel view November 2009 Sorat Hotel on Friday
Jahninsel in November 2009. Whatinsel?
Mild flooding Anything but
South Bank path Wait, there’s supposed to be a path there?


Here’s the slideshow, with more images.

*But six meters above what? Measured from where? I haven’t been able to find this crucial piece of information yet. Apparently it crested last night around 18:00 at 6.27m. Whoever made the 6.30m prediction is kicking himself for sure.