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WEATHER

How to keep cool during Germany’s heatwave

With temperatures soaring in Germany, here are our top tips for staying cool, and hydrated.

Published: 25 June 2019 10:20 CEST
Updated: 10 August 2020 15:16 CEST
How to keep cool during Germany's heatwave
People cool off by jumping into a lake in Radebeul, Saxony. Photo: DPA
 
It’s been super hot in Germany recently. Amid the high heat, here are some tips for staying as cool and hydrated as possible.
 
Drink water
 
It might sound obvious, but be sure to drink plenty of water – even when you’re not thirsty. It’s recommended that you drink at least somewhere between 1.5 and 2 litres per day. 
 
And to avoid dehydration stay off the alcohol. Yes, that even includes beer and the Aperol Spritz sold as a popular patio drink at many cafes around Germany.
 
Tea, coffee, and alcohol all act as diuretics, meaning they will leave you dehydrated.
 
A woman in Kempten, Bavaria downs water in order to stay cool. Photo: DPA
 
Stay inside
 
Try and avoid going outside between the hours of 11 am and 9 pm. If you have to, then be sure to wear light clothes, preferably cotton as it lets your skin breathe. In some cases, you might even be exempt from skipping school or work when the heat hinders your ability to properly learn or concentrate.
 
 
 
Shut the blinds
 
On the home front, keep the blinds closed throughout the hottest hours of the day and overnight – lest you fancy being woken up by daylight between 4:45 and 5:15 am, when the sun rises throughout Germany.
 
When the temperature outside drops below that of your home, open the windows and doors to get some fresh air in there.  
 
Douse yourself in water
 
There are plenty of ways to stay hydrated besides just drinking water and taking showers and baths. Filling a bucket with water for your feet or placing a wet or damp towel on your head and shoulders can make a big difference. Even a little spray with water can keep you feeling fresh. 
 
Despite a lifeguard shortage in many parts of the country, there are still several public pools – not to mention wonderful lakes – which are worth taking a dip in. In the summer, many have hours upwards of 10 p.m.
 
 
Get rid of the extra heat
 
If you’re at home, turn off the big lights, only use your laptop if you have to, and eat cold meals rather than using the oven. 
 
Don’t do outdoor sports (except swimming)
 
Skip your typical afternoon run and say no to your football teammates – it’s best not to over-exert yourself at all. Even going outside to do the gardening is unadvised.
 
Be aware of the risks
 
You might be in peak physical form, but not everyone else is. Remember that children under the age of four and the elderly are the most at risk when the heat strikes.
 
Stay in the coolest parts of the house
 
Be sure to find the coolest part of the house and make sure that’s the area you stay in. If your place has no air-conditioning, nor an electric fan, then you’re advised to head somewhere like a cinema or a shopping centre.
 
Even if you’re not feeling the full heat yet, stock up on a fan. Not surprisingly, they sell out quickly in the summer months. Many people turn to online retailers instead: on Monday, an electric fan was the the number three most purchased electronic device on Amazon.de.
 
Recognise symptoms of heat-related illnesses
 
If you or someone close to you is complaining of cramps, headaches, dizziness, or has a fever of over 38C, this is a clear sign they’re suffering from the heat. Keep the person cool and call emergency services for help. 
 
Don’t forget your furry friends
 
Your pets also suffer from intense heat, so make sure you think of them too. Be sure to keep an eye on them, give them plenty of water, and the occasional cool bath.

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CLIMATE CRISIS

Record heat deaths and floods: How Germany is being hit by climate change

Germany was further confronted with extreme weather conditions and their consequences last year. With this summer likely to break records again, a new report shows the impact climate change is having.

Published: 22 April 2024 11:28 CEST
Record heat deaths and floods: How Germany is being hit by climate change

In 2023, more days of extremely high temperatures were recorded than at any time since records began, the European climate change service Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) wrote in a joint report published on Monday. 

The records go back to 1940 and sometimes even further.

“2023 has been a complex and multifaceted year in terms of climate hazards in Europe,” said Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) Director Carlo Buontempo. “We have witnessed widespread flooding, but also extreme forest fires with high temperatures and severe droughts.” 

These events have put a strain on natural ecosystems, and have also challenged agriculture, water management and public health.

According to the report, around 1.6 million people were affected by floods last year, and more than half a million people were affected by storms. The weather- and climate-related damage is estimated at well over 10 billion euros. “Unfortunately, these numbers are unlikely to decrease in the near future,” Buontempo said, referring to ongoing human-caused climate change.

Heat turns deadly, even in Germany

Averaged across Europe, 11 months of above-average warmth were recorded last year, with September being the warmest since records began in 1940. 

A record number of days with so-called extreme heat stress, i.e. perceived temperatures of over 46C, was also registered. 

As a result of higher temperatures, the number of heat-related deaths has risen by an average of 30 percent over the past 20 years.

According to the Robert Koch Institute, at least 3,100 deaths in Germany were linked to heat in the first nine months of 2023.

“In some cases, for example heat stroke, heat exposure leads directly to death, while in most cases it is the combination of heat exposure and pre-existing conditions that leads to death,” RKI explained in a statement, adding that women tend to be affected more than men due to higher proportion of women in older age groups.

In Germany temperatures above 30C are considered a heatwave. As weather patterns change due to human-caused climate change, heat waves have increased in number and length.

READ ALSO: How German cities are adapting to rising temperatures

Historically Germany hasn’t faced so many severe heatwaves each year, and central air conditioning is not commonly found in the country. In cities across the Bundesrepublik, heat plans are being drafted and refined to try and prepare for further extreme heat events in the near future.

Delivery van stuck in flood

A delivery van stranded in flood water during a storm surge near the fish market in Hamburg last winter. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Bodo Marks
 

Warming oceans and mountains and more rain

On average, the seas around Europe’s coasts were warmer than at any time since at least 1980. 

READ ALSO: Colder winters and refugees – How changing ocean currents could impact Germany

It was also much too warm on the glaciers in 2023. “After the record ice loss in 2022, it was another exceptional year of loss in the Alps,” Copernicus and WMO wrote. In these two years, the glaciers in the Alps lost around 10 percent of their volume.

Interestingly, the excess meltwater may be boosting hydroelectricity production in the short term. According to the report, conditions for the production of green electricity in 2023 were very favourable, with its share of the total electricity mix at 43 percent, the highest seen so far.

Overall, seven percent more rain fell last year than average. It was one of the wettest years on record, the report said. 

In one third of the river network in Europe, water volumes have been recorded that exceeded the flood threshold. There were severe floods in Italy and Greece, among other places, and parts of northern Germany were affected at the end of the year.

Hamburg and the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein were among regions hardest hit by floods in Germany last year. Northern sections of the Elbe river rose high enough to submerge Hamburg’s fish market several times among other places.

READ ALSO: Germany hit by floods as October heat turns into icy spell

2024 likely to continue breaking heat records

The recent report by Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organization is in agreement with a UN report published last month, which noted that last year came at the end of “the warmest 10-year period on record” according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

“There is a high probability that 2024 will again break the record of 2023”, WMO climate monitoring chief Omar Baddour said, according to Science Alert.

Another year of record breaking high temperatures means Germany can likely expect more and longer heatwaves in the late spring, summer and early autumn seasons. Higher average temperatures are also correlated with an increase in extreme weather events like extreme storms and floods in parts of the country.

In drier parts of Europe it means an increase in droughts and wildfires.

With reporting by DPA.

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