Flood Warning Centre Rhine (HMZ) in Mainz

For large water bodies, the federal state Rhineland-Palatinate is operating a flood warning service together with the federal administration for waterways and navigation (Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung) and concerning the federal navigation lanes of the Rhine, Lahn, Moselle and Saar. Based on administrative agreements with neighbouring federal states and the federal administration for waterways and navigation the Flood Warning Centre Rhine is in charge of forwarding flood announcement for the entire German section of the Rhine. The staff of the Landesamt für Umwelt in Rhineland-Palatinate (LfU) and of the Centre for Hydrology belonging to the Generaldirektion Wasserstraßen und Schifffahrt (GDWS) is in charge of the flood warning services.
Using a hydrodynamic model developed by the Federal Institute for Hydrology (BfG), the Flood Warning Centre calculates for the most important gauging stations along the Rhine water level forecasts for up to 48 hours. The forecasts established by the Flood forecasting centre (HVZ) Baden-Württemberg for the gauging stations Maxau/Rhine and Rockenau/Neckar are applied and integrated into this model. The Dutch forecasting centre of the Rijkswaterstaat – Waterdienst (RWS WD) Lelystad uses forecasts established by the HMZ for the Andernach gauging station as input for water level forecasts for the stage of the Rhine at Lobith on the German-Dutch border.
During floods, the HMZ internet site publishes hourly updated water levels from Basel to Emmerich, water level forecasts updated every 3 hours for the section Maxau to Emmerich and at least one review of the situation per day. Furthermore, a representation of the flood development during the past seven days at all gauging stations and a review of past flood events is published. 

During periods without floods, 48-hour forecasts are published for all gauges at least once a day. In Rhineland-Palatinate an regional flood warning for small water bodies with catchments of < 500 km² completes the weather forecast of Germany's National Meteorological Service (DWD). These warnings include indications on the return period of the expected flood peaks and information on the warning situation. 

For further information please consult the homepage of the flood warning service: www.hochwasser-rlp.de