Flood and low-water chronicle

Of 332 federal waterway gauges with official record values, 117 set their record high after 2000 and 111 their record low. Most recent record high: Kanzem Up (18 May 2024); most recent record low: Wilhelmsbrücke (29 May 2025). As of 2026-10-23

When were the records set?

■ record high (HHW) set · ■ record low (NNW) set · number of gauges per decade

Most recent record highs (HHW)

Gauge	cm	Date
Kanzem Up Saar	628	18 May 2024
Serrig Up Saar	798	18 May 2024
Mettlach Up Saar	659	18 May 2024
Fremersdorf Saar	770	18 May 2024
Rehlingen Up Saar	920	18 May 2024
Westspange Saar	500	18 May 2024
Eitze Aller	659	29 Dec 2023
Drakenburg Weser	843	28 Dec 2023
Fuestrup Ems	752	26 Dec 2023
Kade Elbe-Havel-Kanal	336	25 Dec 2018
Burow Müritz-Elde-Wasserstrasse	163	2 Jul 2017
Hitzacker Elbe	817	12 Jun 2013
Boizenburg Elbe	732	12 Jun 2013
Lenzen Elbe	793	11 Jun 2013
Storkau Elbe	881	10 Jun 2013

Most recent record lows (NNW)

Gauge	cm	Date
Wilhelmsbrücke Diemel	4	29 May 2025
Marklendorf Aller	30	15 Dec 2022
Herzhausen Itter Zur Eder	72	12 Nov 2022
Bodenwerder Weser	76	9 Sept 2022
Karlshafen Weser	43	7 Sept 2022
Vlotho Weser	76	7 Sept 2022
Porta Weser	84	7 Sept 2022
Ahlden Aller	-18	6 Sept 2022
Rethem Aller	8	6 Sept 2022
Drakenburg Weser	140	6 Sept 2022
Intschede Weser	-3	6 Sept 2022
Schwarmstedt Leine	50	5 Sept 2022
Petershagen Weser	241	5 Sept 2022
Wahmbeck Weser	86	2 Sept 2022
Hann.Muenden Weser	56	1 Sept 2022

Damaging floods in Germany 1870–2020

HANZE lists 125 flood events for Germany (1872–2018) with a combined 1,325 deaths and 46 bn € in losses at 2020 prices. The twelve costliest:

Start	Type	Waters	Deaths	Affected	Losses (2020 €)
11 Aug 2002	river	Elbe, Danube, Mulde	27	330,000	12.9 bn €
28 May 2013	river	Danube, Elbe, Saale, Mulde	14	600,000	9.2 bn €
16 Feb 1962	storm surge	North Sea	347	30,000	5.5 bn €
20 Mar 1888	river	Elbe, Oder	200	–	3.4 bn €
31 May 2016	river	Inn	8	–	1.4 bn €
6 Aug 2010	flash flood	Neisse	3	1,400	1 bn €
20 Dec 1993	river	Mosel, Saar, Rhine, Neckar, Aisch, Nahe	5	100,000	891 m €
22 May 1978	river	Rhine, Neckar	3	1,000	811 m €
27 May 2016	river	–	4	–	805 m €
27 Jun 1954	river	Donau	12	9,000	579 m €
14 Jun 1926	river	Oder, Warthe, Neisse, Bober	0	–	568 m €
12 May 1999	river	Isar, Amper, Ammer, Wertach, Lech, Iller, Vils, Inn, Donau	7	100,000	515 m €

Damaging floods in Norway

For Norway HANZE holds 42 events (1879–2020), totalling 1.1 bn € in losses (2020 prices).

Start	Type	Waters	Deaths	Affected	Losses (2020 €)
28 May 1995	river	Glomma, Lagen, Drammen	1	7,000	394 m €
16 Oct 1987	River/Coastal	Glomma, Drammen, Skien, Oslo Fjord	0	–	166 m €
22 May 2013	river	Glomma, Mjøsa	0	500	114 m €
29 Sept 2017	river	Lygna, Feda, Audna	0	–	48 m €
25 May 1967	river	Gudbrandsdalslågen, Glomma	0	4,800	38 m €
6 Aug 2012	river	–	0	–	32 m €
4 Dec 2015	river	–	0	520	31 m €
24 Nov 2011	storm surge	Norwegian Sea	0	–	29 m €
27 Oct 2014	river	Gaular, Vosso	0	300	25 m €
8 Jun 2011	river	Glomma	0	–	24 m €
29 Oct 2000	River/Coastal	Sira, Skagerrak, North Sea	0	600	20 m €
14 Aug 1979	river	–	0	400	15 m €

Norway: live river flow →

Method & sources

Record values HHW/NNW with dates: official WSV characteristic values from PEGELONLINE (DL-DE Zero 2.0), retrieved 2026-10-23.
Paprotny, D. et al. (2023): HANZE database of historical flood impacts in Europe, 1870–2020, v2.1.1, Zenodo, doi:10.5281/zenodo.8410025 (CC BY 4.0) – zenodo.org/records/8410025. Losses in euro at 2020 prices as given in the dataset.
Values are taken by script only; no own estimates.