- July in Hesse was sunny and above average wet
In July, summer only made brief appearances in Hesse, with frequent storms causing a wetter month than usual. Heavy rain, severe thunderstorms, and hail were common, according to the German Weather Service (DWD). This meant heavy workloads for DWD meteorologists and emergency services like firefighters, police, and THW.
For example, on July 10th, heavy rain caused flooding on streets and basements in Hanau, as reported by DWD after initial analysis of data from its 2,000 measuring stations. Other regions in the state also experienced heavy showers and thunderstorms throughout the month. In total, rainfall amounted to 89 liters per square meter, slightly more than the comparison period of 1961 to 1990, which had 73 liters per square meter.
Despite the storms, July was sunnier than average, with 233 hours of sunshine, about 30 hours more than the average. This was almost the national average of 237 hours. Compared to the 1961 to 1990 period (211 hours), this was significantly more sunshine. Compared to the 1991 to 2020 period (226 hours), it was only slightly above average.
The frequent sunshine also affected temperatures. With an average of 18.8 degrees Celsius, the month was almost two degrees warmer than the comparison period. The national average was 18.9 degrees, 2.0 degrees above the 1961 to 1990 reference period.
The warmest day in July was recorded by DWD in Frankfurt on July 20th, with 33.6 degrees Celsius. For Wednesday, DWD expected even higher temperatures, around 34 degrees, in Frankfurt, Offenbach, Michelstadt in the Odenwald, and Darmstadt. The highest July temperature ever recorded in Hesse was 40.2 degrees in Frankfurt in 2019.
Despite the variety of weather conditions, other parts of Hesse experienced persistent rain and thunderstorms, much like Hanau. These storms led to additional challenges for emergency services, necessitating their regular response and rescue operations.
