Hungary's Budapest braces for 'flood of the decade'

Hungarian Budapest is preparing for the “flood of the decade” Sofia Rozic

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Powerful floods continue to rage across Europe. The bad weather may also reach Hungary, where they are already expecting the water level in the Danube to rise.

Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony warned local residents and visitors to the city that the “biggest flood of the decade” is approaching. He announced the danger on Sunday, September 15.

Flooding in Budapest expected in the second half of the week

Karacsony said that flood preparedness in Budapest will be raised to level 3. The mayor warned that the water level in the Danube will be highest in the second half of the week due to significant precipitation. It can reach 8 meters.

The lower piers in Pest and Buda will be closed from 20:00 on Monday (16 September – 24 Kanal), so the mayor asks those who park there to take their cars back until then. He stressed that Margaret Island and the Romai coast are particularly at risk of flooding, and closures should also be expected in these areas, Telex reports.

Public transport near the Danube is also likely to be restricted.

The Budapest Water Works noted that the weather forecast is still very uncertain.

“This is a very unusual situation, in such cases, water service workers are used to seeing more precise data, this is not the case now, and the reason for this is that the cyclone, which brought incredible extreme amounts of rain and snow, especially in Austria, has different branches, and exactly where these branches extend and where they bring the most precipitation is unpredictable,” the service reported.