The threat of a severe cloudburst hitting the Copenhagen area this afternoon is so great that HOFOR, the capital’s utilities company, has even issued a press release.
A rate of 12 mm per hour could fall amid the deluge, which is expected to hit in earnest between 16:00 and 18:00 – exactly the time most Copenhageners will be hitting the pedals or throttle to return home.
Thunder and lightning are also forecast, so in the interest of safety, it might be better advised to return home earlier or later than planned.
Wastewater could be hazardous
The rainfall is expected to continue from 14:00 until 20:00. With the Drought Index currently poised on 9.7/10.0 after a dry end to last week, many will be happy to see the heavy precipitation.
Not only does HOFOR, which is hopeful its recently installed cloudburst tunnels will protect most of the city, warn Copenhageners to take cover, but it “calls for extra attention, as roads can be flooded and sewer covers loosen”.
The local population are advised to avoid contact with wastewater, refrain from bathing in the harbour or the sea, check for blocked drains and gutters, and take overall care to ensure homes and basements are not vulnerable to flooding.
More staying at home = overseas holiday discounts
In related news, DR reports that summer holidays abroad are increasingly being discounted due to growing numbers of people electing to stay in Denmark.
In fact, many are cancelling their holidays because they are able to without incurring too much expense.
Some holiday packages have already been reduced by 50 percent, according to the report.
A sixth can’t afford a break
But will that make any difference to the estimated 15.9 percent of Danish households who say they cannot afford a summer holiday away from their home this year – even for one week, according to figures published by Danmarks Statistik.
Some 474,000 Danish households made the admission in a 2022 survey: “mainly renters and single adults with or without children who do not have room in the budget for a holiday”, according to Danmarks Statistik. In total, the group includes 750,000 people, of whom 99,000 are under 16.
In 2021, 15.2 percent of households estimated they could not afford a holiday. The EU average is 28.6 percent, with Luxembourg (7.6) and Sweden (10.2) the countries where holidays are most affordable.
