SHARE
COPY LINK

WEATHER

Mini heatwave: Germany poised for soaring temperatures

Germany has been mainly wet and windy over the past weeks... but temperatures up to 30C are possible in the coming days.

Mini heatwave: Germany poised for soaring temperatures
A woman enjoying the sun at Kochel am See in Bavaria on May 23rd. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Matthias Balk

A large bubble of warm air is making its way to central Europe next week, reported German media outlet Focus on Thursday.

And temperatures in the late 20s are forecast in Germany – with highs of 30C possible.

Average temperatures will rise by 5 to 10C early next week – a huge jump from the current weather which has been dominated by torrential rain showers and wind.

It’s not yet possible to make precise forecasts for individual cities or districts. But signs show that some regions will certainly get a blast of warmth.

Since the air is arriving from the west, the chances of warm to hot weather are highest in western Germany. On the Rhine, Main and Moselle rivers, residents can look forward to T-shirt and shorts weather.

Along the Rhine, the mercury could reach 30C locally as early as Wednesday. However, forecasters are still divided as to whether the highest temperatures will be logged on Wednesday or Thursday.

Weather: Storm to strike Germany over three day weekend

Still uncertain for east, north and south

So the west is going to be warm – and it is very probable that the rest of the country will also get a share of the hot air, although it’s not yet certain.

The further east you go, the later the warm air arrives. And in the next few days we’ll be able to see whether the hot summer temperatures will also reach the north. In the south, too, the thermometer could stay below 25C – at least that’s what some forecasts suggest.

The uncertainty in the forecasts is also fuelled by so-called outliers. For example, there are warm outliers that forecast 30C across Germany. But there are also cold outliers that predict barely 20C. The truth usually lies in between. And depending on which weather model is also used in the weather apps, the mercury jumps accordingly.

To be able to judge the weather situation, it’s always helpful to look at the overall big picture because that usually doesn’t change so much.

What we can see is a bubble of warm air forming over Spain and France, and moving to the east – therefore also to Germany. 

How far north the warm air will advance and how quickly it moves towards Germany remains to be seen.

But the summer air cannot be stopped. So next week at least some people in the Bundesrepublik will have to dig out their summer clothes and the sunscreen. Or go for a dip in an outdoor pool, many of which opened around Germany last week.

READ ALSO: Germans return to pools and beer gardens as some Covid measures are lifted

Vocabulary

Heatwave – (die) Hitzewelle

Warm bubble or air/warm air – (die) Warmluftblase

Outliers (die) Ausreißer (or singular der Ausreißer)

Average temperatures – (die) Durchschnittstemperaturen (or singular die Durchschnittstemperatur)

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

WEATHER

Germany sees end of heatwave as storms lash the country

Is summer really over? It certainly did not feel like it with over a week of dry weather and high temperatures stretching into the mid-30s. But that's set to change Tuesday, with massive rainfall forecast across the country.

Germany sees end of heatwave as storms lash the country

Over the weekend Germany saw temperatures reaching as high as 35C. Freibäder (open-air pools) which were supposed to close after the summer season stayed open.

But on Tuesday the Bundesrepublik can expect temperature drops of up to 15C as thunderstorms move from western to eastern Germany.

The German Weather Service (DPA) issued an extreme weather warning amid intense rain and a winds of up to 100 km per hour in some areas.

Throughout the day the northwest will see showers, thunderstorms and squalls, according to DWD.

The southeast is set to stay sunny, but may also experience thunder and lightning in the afternoon. Cities such as Berlin and Dresden will be muggy with highs between 26 and 31C, whereas in the northwest the mercury will read between 22 and 25C.

During the day, storms with heavy rain of up to 20 litres per square metre will move from the regions of the Lower Rhine and West Münsterland towards East Westphalia, before moving further east.

In addition to heavy rain, there may also be large hailstorms and gusts of up to 100 km/h.

On Wednesday, the storm front will move south of the Main River. The violent thunderstorms will bring torrential rain in parts. Temperatures will stay similar with highs between 18 and 26C. In northern Germany, clouds will clear up and it will stay dry throughout the day.

Across Germany, Thursday is likely to become warm and sunny again. “At 18 to 24C, however, temperatures are much more subdued compared to the current [heat wave]. On Friday and Saturday, however, temperatures are expected to rise again somewhat,” said DWD meteorologist Markus Übel in a statement.

Temperatures going into the following week are then expected to be in the high 20s, which meteorologists predict will push this September into the hottest on record in Germany.

READ ALSO: Summer set to return to Germany with mid-August heatwave

Vocabulary

muggy – schwül 

meteorologist – (der) Meteorologe/(der) Wetterbeobachter

thunderstorm – (das) Gewitter

hail – (der) Hagel

We’re aiming to help our readers improve their German by translating vocabulary from some of our news stories. Did you find this article useful? Let us know.

SHOW COMMENTS