Current Climate Conditions - Measure springtime heat and heavy precipitation.
In the year 2024, Germany experienced its warmest spring since record-keeping began back in 1881. According to the German Meteorological Service (DWD) in Offenbach, the average temperature for the season reached 10.8 degrees Celsius, surpassing the internationally recognized benchmark of 1961 to 1990 by 3.1 degrees. Comparing it to the more recent period of 1991 to 2020, the difference in temperature was 1.9 degrees.
DWD spokesperson Uwe Kirsche emphasized the impact of climate change, stating, "We can't ignore climate change any longer. After the warmest February and March this year, we're now witnessing, in Germany, a springtime temperature that's never been this high."
March 2024 surpassed typical temperatures by 4 degrees, resembling a typical April. The following April set a record high of 30.1 degrees Celsius in Ohlsbach, Baden-Württemberg on the 6th. However, a month later, temperatures plummeted to a frigid -8.8 degrees Celsius in Deutschneudorf-Bruderwiese, Saxony, on the 23rd.
Carbonated downpours accompanied the record temperatures. As announced in the DWD's spring review, southern Germany witnessed extreme rainfall. Heavy storms in May led to a disastrous flooding scenario in Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate while eastern regions remained mostly dry.
Approximately 235 liters of rain fell per square meter on average throughout this spring. This is significantly more than the reference period of 1961 to 1990, which recorded 186 liters per square meter and even exceeding the later observed 171 liters per square meter in the years 1991 to 2020. The Black Forest, for example, experienced over 700 liters of rainfall per square meter. In the latter third of May, intense showers hit multiple German regions. While some areas in Lusatia remained relatively dry.
Sunshine duration registered at 485 hours, only slightly surpassing the typical 467-hour average in the 1961-1990 period. Still, it fell short in comparison to the 522-hour average between 1991 and 2020. In the northeast, sunlight lingerred for over 600 hours in some regions, while the western mountainous areas saw a mere 400 hours of sunlight.
