Most severe negative surges on the southern Baltic Sea coast 
51 
560 
540 
520 
500 
480 
■g- 460 
o 
440 
> 
® 
1 420 
oj 
n 
5 400 
380 
360 
340 
320 
300 
Wismar —•—Warnemünde Sassnitz « Swinoujscie — — Kotobrzeg —— MSL 
Fig. 5.14. b Variations of sea level decrease during the storm of 13-14 January 1993 
January 1993 
5.15. February 1996 
Meteorological situation 
On 15 February, two depressions travelled 
towards the Baltic Sea. The first depression, 
originating in northern Norway, tracked across 
Finland and reached Estonia early on 16 Febru 
ary, filling as it continued in southeasterly direc 
tion. The other depression approached from the 
area off Iceland and crossed the Norwegian Sea, 
deepening, its centre moved across southern 
Scandinavia and reached the Baltic Sea late on 
16 February with a pressure of 974 hPa. Early on 
17 February, the low pressure trough with the 
frontal system passed Gotland, entered Latvia 
and then backed east, filling. 
On 15 February, a westerly storm of 9 Bft which 
soon turned southwest developed in the field of 
the steep pressure gradient which accompanied 
the first of the two depressions. In the western 
part of the coast, the storm locally exceeded 
9 Bft. Early on 16 February, after the low pressure 
trough had entered the Baltic Sea, the storm be 
hind the cold front veered temporarily west to 
northwest, beginning in the eastern part of the 
coast and later in its western part. These wind 
directions were unchanged until around noon in 
the eastern part, and afternoon in the western 
parts of the coast. 
In the afternoon of 16 February, as the other low 
pressure trough with its associated frontal 
system was moving across the Baltic Sea, the 
direction of the gale-force winds oscillated 
between W (temporarily NW) and SW. Behind the 
occluded front, which crossed the area toward 
noon on 17 February, the winds veered north 
west to northeast. 
Hydrological response of sea level 
Sea levels on the days preceding the surge were 
low, oscillating around 460 cm. On 15 February, 
the southwesterly offshore storm caused water 
levels to drop. The minima, recorded around mid 
night, were 409 cm at Ko+obrzeg, 405 cm at 
Swinoujscie, and 383 cm at Sassnitz, all between 
22 and 23 UTC on 15 February. Further west, in 
Wismar, the minimum level of 363 cm was 
recorded around 01 UTC, and the minimum of 
379 cm in Warnemünde around 02 UTC on 
16 February. 
The compensating rise of water levels that fol 
lowed was additionally forced by veering west 
erly winds. However, already around noon on 
16 February, the wind backed as the other low 
pressure trough advanced, causing water levels 
to fall. Levels in the eastern part of the coast 
dropped first, at 13 UTC, and in the western part 
from about 17 UTC. The minima had the same