The wave of bad weather sweeping across Europe is causing significant delays in German transport. Between May 31 and June 4, the southern regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg were particularly hard-hit, with several key infrastructures of all transportation modes inundated. Deutsche Bahn has canceled numerous trains, especially in Bavaria, including those connecting Munich with Zurich. In the same southern state, the A9 and A8 highways experienced complete temporary closures.
In recent years, river transport has faced severe restrictions due to droughts that lowered water levels, but this period saw limitations due to excessively high water levels. At the beginning of June, authorities halted navigation on the upper Rhine and parts of the middle and lower Rhine. On June 7, water levels receded to acceptable levels, and navigation resumed, though it may be suspended again in the following week.
According to the German Insurance Association (Gdv), the floods in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg have caused damage amounting to approximately two billion euros. Besides transportation infrastructure, buildings, businesses, and agricultural lands have been damaged, leading to the temporary evacuation of thousands of people. This figure only accounts for insured properties (47% of buildings in Bavaria and 94% in Baden-Württemberg), suggesting that actual damages are higher. This is a provisional estimate as floods continue along the Danube.
These damages add to those caused by heavy rains in December 2023 in northern and central Germany, which also led to the flooding of many rivers, affecting residential areas and transportation infrastructure. In May, severe weather impacted the regions of Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate.
