Major inflows of highly saline and oxygenated water into the Baltic Sea are rare events, and many of the basic processes underlying them are unknown. In January 1993, strong gales led to an intensive inflow that interrupted the 16-year stagnation of the central Baltic deep water. The different stages of the overflow across the sill area between the North Sea and the Baltic are discussed in connection with the forcing conditions, and the propagation of the water that flowed into the central Baltic is briefly described. Moreover, the potential effects of the recent inflow are estimated.