Extremely heavy rainfall may occur anywhere and affect anyone. Predictions as to when and where these events will happen exactly, however, remain rather unreliable. Major heavy rainfall events and the considerable damage they have caused, like the one in September 2021, remain vivid in our memories. Due to climate change, we may expect such weather conditions more frequently in the future.
Berlin has a comprehensive heavy rainfall information map, which may serve as an initial guide. This heavy rainfall information map provides a straightforward hazard assessment, based on a combination of potentially expected water levels and flow velocities for two different rainfall scenarios, a topographic depression analysis and fire service operation data related to heavy rainfall.
For some areas of Berlin, there are heavy rainfall hazard maps that provide detailed assessments of the extent of flooding, flood depths, and flow velocities for a variety of heavy rainfall scenarios. These maps are gradually being expanded to cover more areas.
It is required, however, to compare the maps with the actual conditions on site.