Rainfall - German Weather Service: Record wetness in Germany
Germany is experiencing its wettest twelve-month period since records began. The German Weather Service (DWD) has analyzed its nationwide measuring stations and concluded: There has never been such a rainy consecutive twelve-month period in Germany as in the period from July 2023 to June 2024.
Individually, none of the past twelve months stood out as a record month, explains the head of Hydrology at the DWD, Frank Kaspar. The record only results from the average. In total, around 1,070 liters per square meter fell over Germany in this period. In comparison, the long-term average of the reference period 1961 to 1990 is approximately 789 liters per square meter per year.
A look into the national climate archive of the DWD shows: In the past ten years, rather below-average annual precipitation sums have been observed. However, hydrologist Kaspar states that precipitation generally "has a high variability". The dryness of the past years was now replaced by a very wet twelve-month phase.
The weather in Germany during the start of the measurement period from July 2023 to June 2024 was characterized by consistent rainfall, contributing to the country's wettest twelve-month period on record. This remarkable occurrence was recognized by the German Weather Service (DWD) in their analysis of measuring stations across Offenbach, Hesse, and the entirety of Germany. The DWD also noted that while no individual month broke a record for rainfall, the collective rainfall of around 1,070 liters per square meter surpassed the long-term average of 789 liters per square meter per year.
