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WEATHER

IN PICTURES: Germany enjoys scorching temperatures in hottest day of year

Warm air from the Mediterranean brought the year's hottest temperatures yet on Wednesday, as parts of the south of Germany sweated in 34C heat.

Published: 17 June 2021 11:49 CEST
IN PICTURES: Germany enjoys scorching temperatures in hottest day of year
A boy jumps into Kiel Fjord in Schleswig-Holstein on Wednesday. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Axel Heimken

According to the German Weather Service (DWD), the year got off to a cooler start than usual with the coldest Spring since 2013. 

After a relatively mild March, April and May were unusually cool, with bouts of snow, rain and hail striking across Germany. The average Spring temperature was a nippy 7.2C, while parts of the south experienced extremely wet weather. 

But following this patchy start – and just a few weeks before the school summer holidays in the north, west and east of Germany – the country is experiencing its first heatwave with temperatures significantly over 30C. 

On Wednesday, the country saw the hottest day of the year so far. Near Speyer, in the Waghäusel-Kirrlach area, the warmest temperatures  of 33.9C were recorded. In the picture below, a woman relaxes on the bank of the Rhine, with Speyer Cathedral visible in the background. 

Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Uwe Anspach
 
The north of Germany also saw high heats on Wednesday. In the scorching temperatures, people cooled off in the lakes and swimming pools. In the Kiel Fjord, in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, four men were photographed jumping into an area that had been closed off to swimmers. 
 

Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Axel Heimken
 
Animals were also affected by the sweltering temperatures. In the agricultural region of Hessian Ried, a family of birds was pictured sitting with their mouths open in 32C heat.
 

Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Boris Roessler
 
At the popular tourist destination of Steinhuder Meer in Lower Saxony, Ilka and Jennifer brought their dog Fietje out to the pier to enjoy the sunshine. 
 
Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Hauke-Christian Dittrich
 
In the wine-growing region of Franconia, young grapes in the Escherndorfer Lump vineyard basked in the warmth. Due to the unseasonably cold spring, the vines sprouted later than usual this year.
 

Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Karl-Josef Hildenbrand
 
On the island of Heligoland in the North Sea, a photographer snapped a picture of a buoy lying on a deserted beach. Over the next few weeks, the school holidays will kick off in the states of Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg und Berlin, and with most states now open to tourists, deserted beaches are likely to be increasingly hard to come by. 
 

Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Marcus Brandt
 
On Thursday morning, swimmers in Hanover tried to beat the heat by heading for an early morning dip at Kleefelder Bad. Over the next few days, temperatures are due to soar in Germany, reaching a sweat-inducing 37C in parts of the north and east.
 

Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Hauke-Christian Dittrich

According to the DWD, the west and northwest could see isolated thunderstorms with hail and heavy rain on Thursday. Temperatures are likely to range between 30C and 36C, though the islands could remain a little cooler.

Summery temperatures are expected to reach the high point of the week on Friday, with up to 37C heat in parts the east.

In a tweet on Thursday, the DWD showed a graphic illustrating the high chance of forest fires in the latter half of the week. “Stay alert,” they wrote. 

 

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WEATHER

Winter weather returns to Germany after spring heat spell

Temperatures in Germany almost hit 30C in the last few weeks. But winter-like weather is well and truly back - and ski slopes are even re-opening in some areas.

Published: 19 April 2024 12:42 CEST
Winter weather returns to Germany after spring heat spell

Many people in Germany will have already packed away their winter clothes as spring has seen high temperatures and lots of sun.

But a cosy hoody and jacket will be needed again.

According to the German Weather Service (DWD), a blast of polar air has been moving in bringing ice, rain and sleet that is turning to snow, particularly at higher altitudes. 

Those who want to take advantage of the winter weather can even get back on the slopes. Many ski resorts had to close early for the season – but a few are reopening. 

On Friday, the ski lift at Kandel in the Emmendingen district (Baden-Württemberg) opens for floodlit skiing from 6pm. to 10pm. If the snow remains, the lifts will also operate at the weekend from 9am to 5pm.

Meanwhile, the lift at Seebuck (Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district) is operating on Saturday from 1pm to 5pm.

‘Aprilschmuddelwetter’

Lower-lying spots have also seen hailstones and snow showers. People in Munich dealt with a flurry of snow on Thursday as temperatures fell. High temperatures ranged from 4C in Oberallgäu to 12C in Lower Franconia.

In a post on X, the DWD described it as Aprilschmuddelwetter – Schmuddelwetter translates to “mucky” or “foul weather” and is often used in Germany in spring when there’s lots of rain.

The DWD said: “April foul weather on Friday: Widespread rain, snow in high mountain areas. In the afternoon, partly heavy sleet showers from the north-west, isolated thunderstorms. In addition, stormy winds in places. Temperatures will barely reach double figures.”

The DWD shared a photo with tulips poking out from the snow in Neuhaus am Rennweg in Thuringia and said it was symbolic of the current weather situation.

The low pressure system moving in from the North Sea was bringing more widespread rain, thunderstorms and hail on Friday. 

In Berlin temperatures hovered around 7C on Friday during the day with continuous rain. It was around 5C in Erfurt and 8C in Kiel. 

In western Germany, it was slightly less cool with temperatures reaching 10C – but torrential rain was forecast. 

Changeable weather with showers was forecast on Saturday, while some sunshine in the north and east of Germany was expected on Sunday. 

At night, there is a risk of frost, ice and freezing rain in the coming days in spots where the temperature drops.

This comes after a series of storms and strong winds lashed the country earlier this week.

READ ALSO: Storms and high winds hit Germany

Just a few days before that, Germany was bathed in sunshine as temperatures climbed up to nearly 30C.

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