What made the June 2013 flood in Germany an exceptional event? A hydro-meteorological evaluation

Schröter, K.; Kunz, M.; Elmer, F.; Mühr, B.; Merz, B.

doi:10.5194/hess-19-309-2015

Articles | Volume 19, issue 1

https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-309-2015

© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-309-2015

© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Articles | Volume 19, issue 1

Research article

|

16 Jan 2015

Research article |

| 16 Jan 2015

What made the June 2013 flood in Germany an exceptional event? A hydro-meteorological evaluation

K. Schröter, M. Kunz, F. Elmer, B. Mühr, and B. Merz

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Views and downloads (calculated since 15 Jul 2014)

Month	HTML	PDF	XML	Total
Jul 2014	213	156	2	371
Aug 2014	34	32	3	69
Sep 2014	29	38	2	69
Oct 2014	29	40	2	71
Nov 2014	16	20	4	40
Dec 2014	21	17	2	40
Jan 2015	193	187	2	382
Feb 2015	40	44	0	84
Mar 2015	45	26	3	74
Apr 2015	41	32	3	76
May 2015	26	27	1	54
Jun 2015	49	26	6	81
Jul 2015	38	24	2	64
Aug 2015	17	17	7	41
Sep 2015	14	9	6	29
Oct 2015	25	20	0	45
Nov 2015	34	23	1	58
Dec 2015	11	24	1	36
Jan 2016	38	22	0	60
Feb 2016	25	27	2	54
Mar 2016	17	13	10	40
Apr 2016	14	7	1	22
May 2016	16	17	0	33
Jun 2016	19	11	0	30
Jul 2016	13	8	2	23
Aug 2016	12	10	0	22
Sep 2016	12	5	0	17
Oct 2016	19	9	3	31
Nov 2016	11	5	5	21
Dec 2016	8	9	0	17
Jan 2017	16	9	0	25
Feb 2017	12	3	2	17
Mar 2017	28	9	6	43
Apr 2017	33	12	1	46
May 2017	32	22	0	54
Jun 2017	42	19	2	63
Jul 2017	23	10	0	33
Aug 2017	14	14	0	28
Sep 2017	8	17	0	25
Oct 2017	10	18	0	28
Nov 2017	14	21	0	35
Dec 2017	10	22	0	32
Jan 2018	5	18	0	23
Feb 2018	13	21	0	34
Mar 2018	19	26	2	47
Apr 2018	7	26	3	36
May 2018	16	31	2	49
Jun 2018	8	28	4	40
Jul 2018	22	24	6	52
Aug 2018	20	30	2	52
Sep 2018	19	20	2	41
Oct 2018	23	29	5	57
Nov 2018	16	40	1	57
Dec 2018	14	29	0	43
Jan 2019	9	13	0	22
Feb 2019	15	12	0	27
Mar 2019	15	23	1	39
Apr 2019	14	25	4	43
May 2019	15	32	2	49
Jun 2019	20	28	2	50
Jul 2019	22	20	6	48
Aug 2019	11	25	1	37
Sep 2019	15	22	5	42
Oct 2019	20	15	2	37
Nov 2019	22	27	3	52
Dec 2019	16	21	2	39
Jan 2020	19	22	8	49
Feb 2020	13	8	2	23
Mar 2020	18	16	1	35
Apr 2020	10	13	0	23
May 2020	8	14	3	25
Jun 2020	22	11	2	35
Jul 2020	35	16	7	58
Aug 2020	16	14	6	36
Sep 2020	16	12	2	30
Oct 2020	11	8	1	20
Nov 2020	14	12	3	29
Dec 2020	17	23	1	41
Jan 2021	35	30	2	67
Feb 2021	21	11	3	35
Mar 2021	19	48	4	71
Apr 2021	19	22	3	44
May 2021	14	18	4	36
Jun 2021	27	12	4	43
Jul 2021	26	19	2	47
Aug 2021	15	18	2	35
Sep 2021	26	21	1	48
Oct 2021	22	47	4	73
Nov 2021	16	22	1	39
Dec 2021	15	7	0	22
Jan 2022	18	29	1	48
Feb 2022	23	15	2	40
Mar 2022	20	16	0	36
Apr 2022	19	27	1	47
May 2022	25	30	1	56
Jun 2022	15	30	5	50
Jul 2022	22	18	0	40
Aug 2022	30	11	0	41
Sep 2022	12	19	0	31
Oct 2022	21	10	0	31
Nov 2022	30	17	1	48
Dec 2022	24	17	0	41
Jan 2023	27	29	2	58
Feb 2023	26	18	1	45
Mar 2023	38	18	0	56
Apr 2023	20	20	3	43
May 2023	18	14	0	32
Jun 2023	19	19	1	39
Jul 2023	26	19	2	47
Aug 2023	32	12	2	46
Sep 2023	65	17	0	82
Oct 2023	177	12	3	192
Nov 2023	180	5	0	185
Dec 2023	28	41	0	69
Jan 2024	24	38	1	63
Feb 2024	21	42	0	63
Mar 2024	30	40	5	75
Apr 2024	32	38	5	75
May 2024	24	43	1	68
Jun 2024	60	49	4	113
Jul 2024	39	39	6	84
Aug 2024	57	27	0	84
Sep 2024	36	21	0	57
Oct 2024	37	15	0	52
Nov 2024	28	13	0	41
Dec 2024	45	9	1	55
Jan 2025	41	26	0	67
Feb 2025	34	10	0	44
Mar 2025	52	17	2	71
Apr 2025	47	17	2	66
May 2025	56	12	0	68
Jun 2025	56	28	0	84
Jul 2025	33	18	2	53
Aug 2025	52	62	4	118
Sep 2025	73	14	2	89
Oct 2025	43	32	2	77
Nov 2025	40	25	4	69

Cumulative views and downloads (calculated since 15 Jul 2014)

Month	HTML	PDF	XML	Total
Jul 2014	213	156	2	371
Aug 2014	34	32	3	69
Sep 2014	29	38	2	69
Oct 2014	29	40	2	71
Nov 2014	16	20	4	40
Dec 2014	21	17	2	40
Jan 2015	193	187	2	382
Feb 2015	40	44	0	84
Mar 2015	45	26	3	74
Apr 2015	41	32	3	76
May 2015	26	27	1	54
Jun 2015	49	26	6	81
Jul 2015	38	24	2	64
Aug 2015	17	17	7	41
Sep 2015	14	9	6	29
Oct 2015	25	20	0	45
Nov 2015	34	23	1	58
Dec 2015	11	24	1	36
Jan 2016	38	22	0	60
Feb 2016	25	27	2	54
Mar 2016	17	13	10	40
Apr 2016	14	7	1	22
May 2016	16	17	0	33
Jun 2016	19	11	0	30
Jul 2016	13	8	2	23
Aug 2016	12	10	0	22
Sep 2016	12	5	0	17
Oct 2016	19	9	3	31
Nov 2016	11	5	5	21
Dec 2016	8	9	0	17
Jan 2017	16	9	0	25
Feb 2017	12	3	2	17
Mar 2017	28	9	6	43
Apr 2017	33	12	1	46
May 2017	32	22	0	54
Jun 2017	42	19	2	63
Jul 2017	23	10	0	33
Aug 2017	14	14	0	28
Sep 2017	8	17	0	25
Oct 2017	10	18	0	28
Nov 2017	14	21	0	35
Dec 2017	10	22	0	32
Jan 2018	5	18	0	23
Feb 2018	13	21	0	34
Mar 2018	19	26	2	47
Apr 2018	7	26	3	36
May 2018	16	31	2	49
Jun 2018	8	28	4	40
Jul 2018	22	24	6	52
Aug 2018	20	30	2	52
Sep 2018	19	20	2	41
Oct 2018	23	29	5	57
Nov 2018	16	40	1	57
Dec 2018	14	29	0	43
Jan 2019	9	13	0	22
Feb 2019	15	12	0	27
Mar 2019	15	23	1	39
Apr 2019	14	25	4	43
May 2019	15	32	2	49
Jun 2019	20	28	2	50
Jul 2019	22	20	6	48
Aug 2019	11	25	1	37
Sep 2019	15	22	5	42
Oct 2019	20	15	2	37
Nov 2019	22	27	3	52
Dec 2019	16	21	2	39
Jan 2020	19	22	8	49
Feb 2020	13	8	2	23
Mar 2020	18	16	1	35
Apr 2020	10	13	0	23
May 2020	8	14	3	25
Jun 2020	22	11	2	35
Jul 2020	35	16	7	58
Aug 2020	16	14	6	36
Sep 2020	16	12	2	30
Oct 2020	11	8	1	20
Nov 2020	14	12	3	29
Dec 2020	17	23	1	41
Jan 2021	35	30	2	67
Feb 2021	21	11	3	35
Mar 2021	19	48	4	71
Apr 2021	19	22	3	44
May 2021	14	18	4	36
Jun 2021	27	12	4	43
Jul 2021	26	19	2	47
Aug 2021	15	18	2	35
Sep 2021	26	21	1	48
Oct 2021	22	47	4	73
Nov 2021	16	22	1	39
Dec 2021	15	7	0	22
Jan 2022	18	29	1	48
Feb 2022	23	15	2	40
Mar 2022	20	16	0	36
Apr 2022	19	27	1	47
May 2022	25	30	1	56
Jun 2022	15	30	5	50
Jul 2022	22	18	0	40
Aug 2022	30	11	0	41
Sep 2022	12	19	0	31
Oct 2022	21	10	0	31
Nov 2022	30	17	1	48
Dec 2022	24	17	0	41
Jan 2023	27	29	2	58
Feb 2023	26	18	1	45
Mar 2023	38	18	0	56
Apr 2023	20	20	3	43
May 2023	18	14	0	32
Jun 2023	19	19	1	39
Jul 2023	26	19	2	47
Aug 2023	32	12	2	46
Sep 2023	65	17	0	82
Oct 2023	177	12	3	192
Nov 2023	180	5	0	185
Dec 2023	28	41	0	69
Jan 2024	24	38	1	63
Feb 2024	21	42	0	63
Mar 2024	30	40	5	75
Apr 2024	32	38	5	75
May 2024	24	43	1	68
Jun 2024	60	49	4	113
Jul 2024	39	39	6	84
Aug 2024	57	27	0	84
Sep 2024	36	21	0	57
Oct 2024	37	15	0	52
Nov 2024	28	13	0	41
Dec 2024	45	9	1	55
Jan 2025	41	26	0	67
Feb 2025	34	10	0	44
Mar 2025	52	17	2	71
Apr 2025	47	17	2	66
May 2025	56	12	0	68
Jun 2025	56	28	0	84
Jul 2025	33	18	2	53
Aug 2025	52	62	4	118
Sep 2025	73	14	2	89
Oct 2025	43	32	2	77
Nov 2025	40	25	4	69

Latest update: 25 Nov 2025

Short summary

Extreme antecedent precipitation, increased initial hydraulic load in the river network and strong but not extraordinary event precipitation were key drivers for the flood in June 2013 in Germany. Our results are based on extreme value statistics and aggregated severity indices which we evaluated for a set of 74 historic large-scale floods. This flood database and the methodological framework enable the rapid assessment of future floods using precipitation and discharge observations.