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WEATHER

Heatwave to hit Germany with temperatures well above 30C

Dig out your fans... because hot days are coming to Germany.

Heatwave to hit Germany with temperatures well above 30C
People cooling down at Stralsund at the Baltic Sea on Tuesday. Photo: DPA

After the changeable weather of July, the German Weather Service (DWD) says there's likely to be a longer heatwave in the coming days which could well become a historic weather event in parts of the country.

“According to our forecasts, the 30C mark will be exceeded in the Rhineland on Wednesday – and it will probably stay that way until August 13th,” DWD spokesman Andreas Friedrich told DPA.

In the Rhineland there could be nine hot days with temperatures above 30C in a row – without any cooling in between. It's even possible that the thermometer will rise to 35C.

According to the forecast, it will be similarly hot in the Rhine-Main region. For Frankfurt, the meteorologists expect six tropical weather days in a row from Saturday to the following Friday, with temperatures not dropping below 20C.

“This will be an extreme strain,” warned the DWD spokesman. He said that heat warnings were likely to occur in many places across Germany.

In Berlin for example, temperatures above 30C are forecast starting on Friday until the following Thursday.

READ ALSO: Is it ever legally too hot to go to work or school in Germany?

Danger of forest fires

The unusually long heat wave is also characterized by drought, with massive consequences for nature. “The extreme drought in the middle of Germany is threatening to worsen, the danger of forest fires is increasing even further.” Apart from a few thunder storms, no rain is expected.

The hottest day of the year so far in Germany was last Friday July 31st. In Rheinfelden in southern Baden the mercury reached 38.5C.

READ ALSO: Health warnings as Europe swelters under heatwave

And on Saturday, temperatures in southern Germany climbed to well over 30C. The warmest area was Bad Mergentheim-Neunkirchen in the northeast of Baden-Wuerttemberg with 37.1C, according to DWD meteorologist Tobias Reinartz.

In general, temperatures in the south and in the middle of Germany were above 30C.

The temperatures brought the Baltic beaches in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania a record-breaking number of visitors on Saturday. Even off the coast at some of the state's lakes, the amount of visitors was so large that access had to be limited.

Last year Germany saw its hottest ever temperature since records began – 42.6C – was recorded in Lingen, Lower Saxony, on July 25th during a European-wide heatwave.

 

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WEATHER

‘Turbo spring’: Germany to see temperatures above 25C

Germany is set for a blast of warm weather in the coming week as the colder spell eases off.

'Turbo spring': Germany to see temperatures above 25C

“The late winter weather of the past few days with frost and snow is a thing of the past for the time being, and spring will kick into turbo gear over the next few days,” said meteorologist Adrian Leyser from the German Weather Service (DWD) on Friday.

Temperatures are expected to rise sharply over the weekend with plenty of sunshine, forecasters said. In Germany anything above 25C is classed as a summer day. “The summer mark of 25C will be cracked regionally as early as Sunday,” said Leyser.

It comes as snow and hail hit Germany last week, and temperatures fell below freezing in some places.

But showers and thunderstorms are still possible in the west and north of Germany. Maximum temperatures there are expected to reach around 20C. 

According to the DWD, spring will get a little damper on Monday, with a few rain spells.  “However, the next low pressure system over Western Europe is preparing to turn on the warm air jet again from Tuesday,” said the meteorologist.

On Wednesday – which is a public holiday across Germany for International Workers’ Day – temperatures could soar nearer 30C. 

“In the south and east, we are even approaching the 30C mark,” said Leyser. However, the weather will remain “susceptible to disruption”, said Leyser, especially in the west where there is a risk of isolated and sometimes severe thunderstorms.

READ ALSO: What to do on May 1st in Germany

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