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Strong East Wind, October 3, 2013, Berlin Wannsee

The high pressure system over Scandinavia had still an influence in Middle Europe til Thursday, Oct. 3, a holiday in Germany (Reunification). There was a strong east wind blowing most of the day. The wind force between 4-6 made a short journey with the lake Wannsee ferry from the west end to the east side of the lake a real experience. The captain warned people that they might get wet. Not everybody listened. There was also a bright blue sky during the whole day and some people tried to enjoy the sunshine. On Friday the weather in Berlin changed and it became a little warmer. Compared to 2011 where temperatures where more like in summer and even swimming in the lakes was still possible it was a very cold start for October. A lot of sailors enjoy strong winds like the east wind we had on October 3. However lake Wannsee can be dangerous ground: sudden changes of wind direction are unpredictable and every year there are dangerous accidents. Smaller sailing boots can turn over and for canoes the waves can become a serious problem.

If you watch the video til the end you can see that it can be very windy on one side of the lake and nearly calm on the other side. One reason for these interesting weather conditions at lake Wannsee might be that it isn’t really a lake. It is basically the river havel who opens up into several lakes and they don’t resemble the cypical circle we associate with a lake. Furthermore there are small islands and wooden hills protecting some areas from the wind. In other places the sculpture of the landscape might work as a catalyst and making wind forces stronger over the lake.