Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

WEATHER

Germany set for first heatwave of 2023 as temperatures soar to 30C

The first sweltering days of the year could arrive as early as the weekend as experts predict that Germany will see temperatures hit 30C and over, marking the first small heatwave of 2023.

Published: 6 June 2023 11:43 CEST
Friends play volleyball during a hot June day in Munich
Friends play volleyball during a hot June day in Munich. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sven Hoppe

Anyone waiting for an excuse to head to a lake may just have a chance this weekend as the heat in Germany cranks up a notch.

From Friday, weathers experts predict that some parts of Germany – particularly along the Rhine and surrounding areas – will see temperatures shoot up to 30C and even reach 33C over the weekend.

Outside western Germany, there will still be a chance to change into summer clothes as temperatures are set to range between 24-29C on Friday across the non-coastal regions.

READ ALSO: Living in Germany: Making the most of culture and lake life

However, the southeast and east of the country are likely to see more changeable weather than the dazzling sunshine of the past few weeks, with overcast skies, showers and rainstorms expected ahead of the weekend.

The weekend looks set to be much warmer and brighter in most regions, with residents of Berlin and Brandenburg enjoying clear skies and temperatures of up to 30C. 

According to the German Weather Service (DWD), the mountainous regions in the east and southeast of the Bundesrepublik could see some isolated showers and thunderstorms, but the rest of the country should see summery highs of between 24C and 29C.

For those dreading sweltering tropical nights, there’s also good news: temperatures are likely to cool off significantly in the evenings, with highs of between 10C and 18C across Germany. 

What about the rest of the week?

Temperatures will generally stay warm this week, though the weather conditions will be much more changeable between Tuesday and Thursday.

Residents of Bavaria, Thuringia and Saxony start the week off with dense clouds and some isolated showers, with the overcast skies stretches as far north as southern Brandenburg. 

In most cases, however, the weather will remain in the mid- to high-20s, with parts of Brandenburg even seeing highs of 27-28C. 

In the rainier parts of the country, however, expect slightly lower temperatures of around 22C. 

Sunny day in Munich

People enjoy sunny weather on the banks of the Isar in Munich. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sven Hoppe

On Wednesday and Thursday, there should be a mix of sunny skies and clouds, with parts of the country also seeing some localised thunderstorms.

Once again, Bavaria could be the worst-hit by the changeable weather, with some thunder and lightning expected, although temperatures will remain summery.

After the weekend heatwave, people in the south and southwest may continue to enjoy temperatures of around 30C, though elsewhere the mercury will slip down to between 23C and 28C. 

READ ALSO: Germany’s top 10 most beautiful summer swimming spots

Mountainous areas in the south and west could experience thunderstorms, and the glaring sunshine could be interrupted by some clouds and light easterly winds. 

For those who don’t have a chance to get their barbecues out on Saturday or Sunday, however, this certainly won’t be their last chance: experts predict that this June will be much drier and sunnier than average.

Member comments

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

CLIMATE CRISIS

European countries smash September temperature records

Austria, France, Germany, Poland and Switzerland announced their hottest Septembers on record on Friday, in a year expected to be the warmest in human history as climate change accelerates.

Published: 30 September 2023 11:18 CEST
European countries smash September temperature records

The unseasonably warm weather in Europe came after the EU climate monitor said earlier this month that global temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere summer were the hottest on record.

French weather authority Meteo-France said the September temperature average in the country will be around 21.5 degrees Celsius (70.7 degrees Fahrenheit), between 3.5C and 3.6C above the 1991-2020 reference period.

Average temperatures in France have been exceeding monthly norms consistently for almost two years.

In neighbouring Germany, weather office DWD said this month was the hottest September since national records started, almost 4C higher than the 1961-1990 baseline.

Poland’s weather institute announced September temperatures were 3.6C higher than average and the hottest for the month since records began more than 100 years ago.

National weather bodies in the Alpine nations of Austria and Switzerland also recorded their hottest-ever average September temperatures, a day after a study revealed Swiss glaciers lost 10 percent of their volume in two years amid extreme warming.

The Spanish and Portuguese national weather institutes warned abnormally warm temperatures were going to hit this weekend, with the mercury topping 35C in parts of southern Spain on Friday.

READ ALSO: MAP: The parts of Spain that are most and least affected by global warming

Records ‘systematically’ broken 

Scientists say climate change driven by human activity is driving global temperatures higher, with the world at around 1.2C of warming above pre-industrial levels.

The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service told AFP earlier this month that 2023 is likely to be the hottest year humanity has experienced.

Higher temperatures are likely to be on the horizon as the El Nino weather phenomenon — which warms waters in the southern Pacific and beyond — has only just begun.

The disruption to the planet’s climate systems is making extreme weather events like heatwaves, drought, wildfires and storms more frequent and intense, causing greater losses of life and property.

World leaders will gather in Dubai from November 30 for crunch UN talks aimed at curbing the worst effects of climate change, including limiting warming to 1.5C, a goal of the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement.

Slashing planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions — notably by phasing out the consumption of polluting gas, oil and coal — climate finance and boosting renewable energy capacity will be at the heart of the discussions.

“Until we reach carbon neutrality, heat records are going to be systematically broken week after week, month after month, year after year,” UN climate report lead author Francois Gemenne told AFP this week.

SHOW COMMENTS