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WEATHER

Germany to see temperatures up to 20C after winter freeze

Just a few days ago there was tons of snow and frozen lakes. But this weekend spring-like weather is expected in most of the country.

Published: 19 February 2021 14:55 CET
Updated: 19 February 2021 16:30 CET
Germany to see temperatures up to 20C after winter freeze
People enjoying the sunshine at Langenargen Am Bodensee in Baden-Württemberg on February 17th. Photo: DPA

But police union bosses say they are worried people won't follow coronavirus rules in the sunshine.

Temperatures across Germany reached over 10C on Friday. The mercury is expected to climb higher on Saturday although there could be some showers, and it will remain chilly in some places, including the northeast.

The warmest areas will be in the west and on the northern edge of the low mountain ranges, with light to moderate winds.

READ ALSO: Germany embraces cold snap amid warnings over icy waterways

On Sunday highs of 19C are expected in Cologne – and the mercury could even hit 20C in some parts of the west locally. Temperatures of around 18C are expected in Hanover and Münster, while forecasters predict 16C for Frankfurt and 15C in Berlin.

On Sunday the southeast around Munich could be a big cooler with about 10C.

The German Weather Service (DWD) tweeted to say the spring-like weather comes after last week's winter weekend. Although it is still expected to be frosty overnight – so don't forget to wrap if you are spending time outside.

The arctic temperatures in recent weeks- which saw lows of 26.7C at one point – were brought to the region by the polar vortex split.

But a new weather front has arrived, bringing with it mild temperatures for the coming days.

READ ALSO: Why Germany is facing extreme winter weather this month

The spring-like weather is caused by a high pressure area dubbed “Ilonka”, which is moving in from North Africa, said forecaster Adrian Schmidt of Meteogroup.

Despite the February sun which can be strong, bathing in lakes is not yet the order of the day. “The lakes have to thaw out first,” said Schmidt – and they will still be extremely cold.

The weather will cool down towards the end of next week in Germany – although hopefully not to the levels we saw earlier this month. 

Police boss urges people to stick to rules

The spring-like forecast is causing some concern.

The German Police Union (DPolG) expects more people to break coronavirus contact rules because of the mild temperatures.

Currently a household is allowed to meet with one other person.

The nice weather could tempt people to become careless, said chairman Rainer Wendt. “Sun rays are not a Corona vaccine – some people forget that.”

He urged residents to observe distance rules and contact restrictions, and said police would take action against anyone found to be violating the rules.

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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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