Flooding Flooding after heavy rainfall in western Denmark

Heavy rainfall has caused flooding in the west of Denmark. In the port city of Esbjerg and surrounding areas on the Danish North Sea coast, more than 140 liters of rain per square meter fell locally, according to the Danish weather service on Saturday.

According to the police, a highway near Esbjerg even had to be temporarily closed due to the masses of water.

"In my 30 years in the fire department, I've never experienced anything like this", said firefighter Jens Mölgaard on radio station P4. According to the Danish weather service, numerous rivers were flooding. There is a "risk of localized flooding in low-lying areas and along rivers and lakes", the meteorologists warned.

According to the weather service, climate change has already led to an increase in rainfall in Denmark. With a total of 972.7 liters of precipitation per square meter, the country recorded the rainiest year since records began in 2023. At the beginning of September, the Danish coastal authority therefore asked 51 of the country's 98 municipalities to draw up flood protection plans. Previously, this only applied to 27 municipalities.