RTL Today - Heavy rains, road closures - updated: Red alert extended as Luxembourg faces major flooding

A red alert for flooding has been extended until Friday evening as heavy rains continue to hit the Grand Duchy.

On Wednesday morning, the Water Management Authority's flood control centre said Luxembourg would remain in full alert status, with risks of major floods and significant impact on people and property.

Luxembourg at risk of severe flooding

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The Alzette and its tributaries saw river water levels crossing the alert threshold overnight in areas around Bissen, Mersch and Ettelbruck. In Hesperange, where the alert level was reached on Tuesday evening, water levels were said to be falling for the Attert river, but remained elevated for the Alzette and Eisch rivers.

The Sûre river exceeded alert levels in Diekirch and pre-alert levels in Bollendorf in the early hours of Wednesday morning, with water levels slowly receding as of 9am.

The flood control centre has indicated the potential risk of flooding in areas around the Moselle river on Wednesday, with warning services on standby.

The rain is expected to continue throughout Wednesday, with further flooding possible, although weather conditions are relatively unstable and difficult to forecast. It is possible that thunderstorms will follow on Wednesday evening.

Authorities described the flooding as a 'decennial' event - meaning likely to happen once every ten years - but underlined that it is not expected to reach the catastrophic levels of summer 2021.

So far, around 20 buildings have been reported flooded, while six fallen trees have blocked roads across the country.

The red alert remains in place for southern Luxembourg until Friday night, while northern areas have been placed under orange alert.

The Rangwee Tunnel in Howald / © Domingos Oliveira

Ettelbruck overnight / © Domingos Oliveira

Everlange overnight / © Domingos Oliveira

Deich car park in Ettelbruck / © Domingos Oliveira

Bissen overnight / © Domingos Oliveira

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Road closures as of Wednesday morning

A number of roads have been closed across Luxembourg due to flooding or fallen trees. The following roads around the country were blocked as of Wednesday morning:

N10 Dillingen - Weilerbach
N1 Betzdorf
N10 Stolzembourg
N12 Kopstal - Quatre Vents
N27 Esch-sur-Sûre
N28 Sandweiler – Éiter
N37 Ehlerange
CR158 Roeser - Kockelscheuer
CR152B Schengen
CR189 Septfontaines – Goeblange
CR358 Reisdorf – Wallenduerfer Bréck (Wallendorf-Pont) – Medernach – Savelborn
CR345/Rue de Mertzig near Karelshaff
CR325 Kirelshof - Drauffelt
CR333 between Hachiville and Weiler
Rue de Merscheid, Mertzig - one lane blocked by a tree
CR123 between Cruchten and Essingen is fully blocked
CR306 Moersdorf - Oberglabach
CR118 between Consdorf and Mullerthal is completely blocked due to a fallen tree.

In Luxembourg City, the following places are closed until further notice:

Place d'Argent and Bisserwee car parks
Closure of the national cycle path (PC1)
Bisserwee playground

The following roads in the capital are closed until further notice, with diversions in place:

Biisserwee (Grund)
Rue Munster (Grund)
Rue Plaetis (Grund)
Rue Saint Ulric (Grund)
Rue Godschaux (Pulvermühle/Bonnevoie)
Rue de Pulvermühle (Pulvermühle/Bonnevoie)
Am Park Laval (Eich)

Ettelbruck council has warned motorists to avoid the Däich car park as it has been closed due to high water levels.

ℹ️⚠️Aktuell Warnungen

Weider Detailer fannt Dir op https://t.co/j62cFg4frI an https://t.co/zXvk3qFasZ !

/LM pic.twitter.com/roN1O4NXOX
— MeteoLux (@Meteo_Lux) January 2, 2024

Luxembourg’s national weather service raised the initial yellow alert to an orange alert over the course of Tuesday morning. The red alert for southern Luxembourg was issued on Tuesday afternoon, with between 25 and 40 litres of rain per square metre forecast. The Kachelmannwetter weather agency estimated that up to 30-60 litres of rain could fall per square meter in certain areas.

On Tuesday morning, the pre-flood alert phase was also activated (cote de pré-alerte).

For real-time updates and information on current water levels, you can refer to inondations.lu.

Authorities have emphasised that the current situation is not a repeat of the floods that occurred in July 2021 in Luxembourg. However, to avert any re-occurrence, essential measures are actively being implemented.

Throughout Wednesday, people living in proximity to rivers should take necessary precautions, particularly in flood-prone areas like campgrounds or parking lots, to ensure their own personal safety.

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Advice

The Water Management Authority has issued the following advice during the alerts:

If possible, stay at home and continue to follow the current flood warnings on www.inondations.lu weather warnings on www.meteolux.lu, or on the radio or television.
Avoid any unnecessary stay in the affected areas.
If you absolutely have to travel, be extremely careful and inform your family of your departure and destination.
Follow detours and pay attention to closed roads.

Residents in areas at risk of flooding should:

Avoid waterfront areas, flooded roads and paths at all costs.
If the power is out or switched off, use battery-operated devices such as a smartphone, a battery-operated radio or the car radio.
Do not go into rooms at risk of flooding (basements, garages - beware of electric shock).
Make the work of the emergency services who suggest an evacuation easier and heed their advice so as not to endanger your life or that of first responders.
Stay calm and act thoughtfully; Saving people comes before preserving material assets.
Please note that the fire brigade does not use or provide pumps in flooded rooms during floods. Pumping out during floods could lead to different pressure conditions and damage walls.