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WEATHER

Germany to see temperatures up to 29C as spring heat spell continues

After record setting temperatures in Germany over the weekend, it is set to be warm again on Monday in much of the country. How is the country adapting to continually hotter than usual weather?

Published: 8 April 2024 10:45 CEST
blossoms in the park
People in Germany were out in t-shirts and shorts last weekend enjoying temperatures up to 30C. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Monika Skolimowska

With Germans strutting around in shorts and sandals, it felt more like summer than spring over the weekend. 

According to preliminary data from the German Weather Service (DWR), with a high temperature of 30.1C recorded in Ohlsbach in the Rhine Valley on Saturday, the Bundesrepublik has never before seen such high temperatures this early in the spring season since regular weather recording began in Germany. 

Up to 29C at the start of the week

If you unpacked some summer clothes for the weekend, there’s no need to pack them away now. On Monday it will be warm again – in some places downright hot. 

Temperatures of 24 to 29C and plenty of sun are expected in large parts of the country, according to the German Weather Service (DWD). 

However, those living in the northwest may want to keep an extra layer or even a raincoat on hand, as that region is expected to experience slightly lower temperatures of 16 to 23C and lots of cloud cover. Rain showers are also possible there during the day, with strong thunderstorms foreseeable in the evening.

The DWD expects light to moderate winds on Monday, with gale force winds only expected on Alpine peaks.

More heatwaves to come

In Germany, weather with temperatures above 30C is considered a heat wave. As weather patterns warm around the world due to human induced climate change, heat waves are becoming more common in Germany each year.

Heat records have been broken again and again for years. The hottest year in Germany since weather records began was 2023, replacing 2022 as the previous record holder. It looks likely that 2024 will break the record again. 

READ ALSO: More floods, droughts and heatwaves: How climate change will impact Germany

Heat waves cause significant issues for infants, young children, people aged 65 and over, and people with pre-existing conditions. These vulnerable groups are more likely to experience dehydration, circulatory problems, sleep disorders or heat stroke during a heat wave.

The heat can even be fatal: according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), there were around 3,200 heat-related deaths in the summer of 2023. 

How prepared are German cities for heat waves

Germany Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) announced last June that he wanted to introduce several measures against heat hazards. As a result, a November meeting with government and civil society representatives analysed existing concepts and resources for heat protection measures, and set goals for improving them.

In many cities, heat warnings are issued via websites, flyers or social media. Stuttgart also has a refrigerated bus, and is creating a map of cool places in the city, such as: shady green spaces, water playgrounds, drinking fountains, refill stations (filling water bottles), bathing facilities and air-conditioned or cool buildings such as museums, libraries and churches.

Similar systems exist in Hanover, Munich and Düsseldorf. 

Many state capitals such as Hanover, Dresden, Mainz, Erfurt, Bremen, Düsseldorf and Munich are relying on the construction of new drinking water wells. 

READ ALSO: How German cities are adapting to rising temperatures

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WEATHER

Severe weather warnings issued as Germany braces for more storms

Extreme weather warnings for heavy rainfall remain in place in parts of Germany on Friday following flooding in the south. There is also a chance of thunderstorms at the weekend.

Published: 17 May 2024 10:37 CEST
Severe weather warnings issued as Germany braces for more storms

Severe weather is expected in the southwest of the country on Friday, with the heaviest rain expected in Saarbrücken, as well as the surrounding areas of Saarland and southern Rhineland-Palatinate.

In these areas Germany’s weather service (DWD) has level 4 warnings in place – meaning that the rain is expected to be extremely heavy (more than 40 litres per square metre in an hour, or 60 litres per square metre in 6 hours).

Slightly less severe, but still heavy continuous rain can also be expected in the surrounding regions, extending as far as Stuttgart and Mainz.

Speaking to Bild newspaper, Climatologist Dr. Karsten Brandt suggested that the heavy precipitation and thunderstorms will continue to move northwest, even into southern North-Rhine Westphalia (Aachen).

There are also wind warnings in parts of the country, with squalls expected on the Brocken and the Fichtelberg mountains, as well as in the Black Forest and in the Alps.

Currently, the highest wind warnings are in Dresden and southern Bavaria near the Alps.

Friday’s weather warnings come in the wake of chaotic weather that flooded Nuremberg and parts of Bavaria Thursday night, where many roads flooded. Cars were submerged in water and bus routes were cancelled.

A number of household cellars also flooded as well as a large underground car park at the Technical University.

READ ALSO: Record heat deaths and floods – How Germany is being hit by climate change

What will the weekend bring?

Beyond the area of severe weather warnings but not beyond the reach of the storm, Cologne will have some rain on Friday which may continue on through the weekend.

Germany’s northern and eastern regions have dodged the recent bout of storms so far, but in Berlin scattered thunderstorms can be expected to move in by Sunday afternoon. This may put a dampener on the Karneval der Kulturen parade. 

In Bremen and Hamburg, residents can expect some rain showers on Sunday and Monday, with a chance of thunderstorms as well.

In Munich and Nuremberg, it looks as if the worst is over. Some small showers may continue into Saturday, but Bavarian residents can look forward to a sunny Sunday ahead of the public holiday on Monday for Pentecost. 

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