32 
6.5 February 1983 
Meteorological situation 
In a stable situation of zonal circulation over Europe (Fig. 6.5.1.), one of the low-pressure 
centres in a long series of eastward moving disturbances reached its lowest value of 954 
hPa on 1 February, 03 UTC, over Scotland and, filling slowly, travelled rapidly east- 
southeast. In front of the approaching frontal system connected with the depression, the 
hitherto moderate winds over the western and southern Baltic Sea backed SE, increasing 
gradually. Between 9 and 15 UTC, the fronts crossed the western and southern Baltic Sea, 
and the low-pressure centre continued moving slowly southeastward across the entrance to 
the Skagerrak and northern Denmark toward the southern Baltic Sea, while over Western 
and Central Europe the air pressure increased considerably. This led to a dangerously steep 
pressure gradient resulting in a vehement SW-W storm of 8-9 Bft, which soon increased to 
9-11 Bft in the southern North Sea. When the storm reached the western Baltic Sea around 
noon, the severity of the winds had decreased somewhat, at 7-8 Bft, and continued to 
decrease slightly as the storm travelled eastward. Late on 1 February, when the low pressure 
centre was over the southern Baltic Sea, one of the secondary fronts crossing the Danish 
Sounds caused the W-SW storm to veer sharply northwest over the western and southern 
Baltic Sea. As the centre of the low reached the Gulf of Riga on 2 February (Fig. 6.5.2.), at 
about noon, the storm continued to veer and became gusty, reaching 7-8 Bft with gusts of 9 
Bft. At about 15-18 UTC, the pressure gradient started to weaken, but the onshore NW-SW 
winds continued for another two days, until around noon on 4 February. 
Fig. 6.5.1. An example of wind-driven forcing of surface water due to long-lasting zonal 
atmospheric flow, causing elevated water levels in the southern Baltic Sea. The pressure 
pattern on 29 January 1983: a successive low-pressure trough, which - within the intensive 
zonal air flow - moved across the North and Baltic Seas in the days preceding the storm 
surge on 2-4 February 1983.