26 
northwesterly wind backed and decreased slightly after about 04 UTC, water levels fell 
slowly. The highest levels on the western coast were recorded between 04 and 09 UTC, with 
maxima ranging between 630 cm in Warnemunde and 640 cm in Wismar, at 08 UTC. Levels 
then began to fall nearly immediately, which continued until the late morning hours of 5 
January. Relative to the reference level indicator (equal to 548 cm on 3 January) this surge 
lasted between 23 hours at Wismar and 41 hours at Kotobrzeg. 
6.2 December 1976 
Meteorological situation 
On 24 December 1976, after a deep and extensive trough of low pressure had travelled 
across the Baltic Sea towards Bielorussia and Ukraine, a northerly storm of 7-8 Bft with gusts 
of 9 Bft set in affecting the entire Baltic Sea from the Gulf of Bothnia to the southern coasts. 
On 25 December at 00 UTC, another low-pressure centre of 1007 hPa formed over the 
Norwegian Sea and, steadily deepening, moved rapidly S-SE and later SE. It entered the 
southeastern basins of the Baltic Sea on 26 December at 00 UTC with a pressure of 987 
hPa, slowing down and continuing towards Lithuania, where 985 hPa was recorded on 26 
December at 03 UTC. The slowly filling depression then travelled towards Ukraine (Fig. 
6.2.1.). 
The passage of this low-pressure centre disturbed the existing strong northerly air flow, 
causing a temporary decrease of wind speed and changes of wind direction along its path, 
with a spell of strong southerly winds in the night from 25 to 26 December in the entire 
southern Baltic Sea. However, when a high pressure ridge developed over Scandinavia and 
the low-pressure centre reached the Lithuanian coast on 26 December at 03 UTC, the whole 
area of the Baltic Sea was again hit by a northerly storm of 7-9 Bft. 
On 26 December, after 15 UTC, as the low-pressure centre moved towards Ukraine and the 
ridge of high pressure over Scandinavia weakened and slowly spread across the Baltic Sea, 
the wind finally backed and calmed gradually to 8-5 Bft. On 27 December, the wind 
continued to decrease, backing west to southwest. 
Fig. 6.2.1. Track of the depression, pressure pattern and wind field that caused the storm 
surge of 24 - 27 December, 1976, on the coasts of the southern Baltic Sea