In late May 2013, a pronounced and persistent jet stream pattern stalled two low-pressure systems over Central Europe. Fed by a steady stream of warm, moist Mediterranean air, the systems produced extreme rainfall over a period of several days. Parts of Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria experienced the worst flooding since the Elbe Floods of 2002 (in certain areas, floodwaters reached their highest levels in more than 500 years).
The hardest hit was Germany, particularly along the upstream areas of the Danube and Elbe rivers. River dikes along the Elbeburst or threatened to fail, flooding hundreds of square kilometers in the east German states of Thuringia, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Lower-Saxony. Bavarian cities along the Danube River (Deggendorf and Passau in particular) suffered extensive damage. Rail lines between major cities such as Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt, and Amsterdam were cut for days. In total more than 45,000 people had to be evacuated, and there were 22 reported fatalities.
