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Weather: Storm to strike Germany over three-day weekend

At the upcoming three-day weekend, outdoor dining is reopening in large parts of the country. But there’s one factor that could still get in the way of plans: the weather.

Published: 20 May 2021 13:43 CEST
Weather: Storm to strike Germany over three-day weekend
Storm clouds were already spotted in Munich on Thursday. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Peter Kneffel

Wet and windy weather is expected around the Bundesrepublik thanks to the weather front “Marco”, according to the German Weather Service (DWD) on Thursday. 

The storm, which hails all the way from the British Isles, is traveling up through north Germany on its way to Denmark and Scandinavia. 

And its making itself known: On Friday, when outdoor dining reopens in much of the country including Berlin, Bavaria and Saxony, Germany will see gusts of wind of up to 60 and 70 kilometres per hour, especially in the west and northwest of the country.

In Hamburg and Munich, temperatures will hover around 16C with rain, while they will be sunnier in Frankfurt (18C) and Berlin (20C).

Saturday will start out cloudy, but also be peppered with sun in many parts of Germany. Then the clouds from the west will become denser, followed by a downpour of rain and, in some locations, thunderstorms.

Amid the damp weather, the mercury will reach 8 to 12C, but in the east that could pick up to 17C or 18C.

The outlook on Sunday is not much brighter: most of the country will be covered in clouds, bringing light rain and in some cases storms. The mercury will range between 11 and 17C. 

But on Monday, the national public holiday of Pfingsten (Pentecost), temperatures are expected to rise. The DWD predicts milder and largely dry weather with highs up to 23C, at least for a broad strip from the southwest to the east. 

READ ALSO: Which German holiday hotspots are opening up for Pentecost?

Warm air masses from eastern Europe could even bring temperatures between 25 and 30C to the eastern part of Germany.

In the southeast and northwest, however, clouds and showers or showery rain are expected.

Taking the mixed stormy and sunny weekend weather into account, DWD concluded that people in Germany should prepare for weekend temperatures that are neither too hot nor too cold.

“Turning off the heating is hardly worth it. Sandals and shorts can also remain in the closet. It is also advisable to secure loose objects or light plant pots in defence against Marco,” the DWD wrote in a weather report on Thursday.

Yet while outdoor diners may not be happy about seeing their tablecloths whisked away by a sudden strong wind, meteorologists are rejoicing about above-average rain that the month of May has brought to the Bundesrepublik. 

“Sufficient precipitation has fallen in most regions of Germany so far in May,” said forecaster Jacqueline Kernn. “In some cases, the measured rainfall amounts are also significantly above the long-term average. Nature is happy about this.”

For the past few summers, amid record hot and dry temperatures, Germany has experienced a drought which has led to forest fires and agricultural shortages, amid other consequences. 

READ ALSO: German farmers fear drought amid spate of forest fires

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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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