"Swinging Summer" marked the July weather
July is almost over, and the German Weather Service is drawing up a balance sheet - confirming the general impression: It was often warm, even hot at times. But sunny periods often ended with rain, heavy rain, and thunderstorms - much to the dismay of swimming pool operators.
Heavy rain, thunderstorms, and plenty of sunshine on some days: That's how the weather in July presented itself, according to an initial survey by the weather service. The average temperature in the month that's coming to an end was 18.9 degrees Celsius, which is 2.0 degrees Celsius above the internationally valid reference period of 1961 to 1990, the German Weather Service announced after initial evaluations of the results from its approximately 2,000 measuring stations.
So far, the warmest temperature was recorded in Saxony's Bad Muskau on July 10, at 34.8 degrees Celsius. This value could still be exceeded today or on Wednesday.
The DWD also registered the coolest value so far in Saxony: Towards the end of the month, temperatures dropped significantly at night - in Deutschneudorf-Brüderwiese on the border with the Czech Republic, a nationwide low of 3.8 degrees Celsius was measured on July 30.
Lots of rain, often heavy
Overall, there was a clear north-west to south-east gradient in the number of summer days with more than 25 degrees Celsius. While there were only 2 to 10 summer days in the north and north-west, there were more than 20 in the east and south.
"The sky opened its floodgates frequently in the second summer month of the year," the DWD wrote. With 88 liters per square meter, it was wetter than the reference period of 1961 to 1990 (78 liters per square meter). Compared to the wetter period of 1991 to 2020 (87 liters per square meter), however, July 2024 was very average.
The north-west and south of the country received the most rain, while the south-west and east only saw rain on 5 to 10 days. South of the Danube, between 150 and 250 liters per square meter fell from the sky - so far, the wettest region in Germany in July. Relatively dry, with 20 to 40 liters per square meter, were North Saxony, parts of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the south-west.
The rain often fell in the form of heavy, sometimes thunderous downpours. This happened, for example, on July 21 in Steinfurt-Burgsteinfurt (North Rhine-Westphalia) - with almost 79 liters, the highest daily total.
Bathing operators not satisfied
The sun shone for an average of 237 hours in July. That was significantly more than in the comparison period of 1961 to 1990 (211 hours). If the more recent comparison period of 1991 to 2020 (226 hours) is taken into account, it shows only a slightly above-average value. The south-east half of the country clearly benefited, with 230 to 260 hours of sunshine. In the north-west half, it was 200 to 230 hours.
According to the DWD, the sunniest federal state was Brandenburg with 258 hours of sunshine (223 in the comparison period). North Rhine-Westphalia had the fewest hours of sunshine, with around 211 (comparison period: 187) hours.
So far, the "swinging weather" is not making the communal bath operators very happy. In June, visitor numbers were sometimes only half as high as in 2023, according to a spokesperson for the Association of Municipal Enterprises (VKU). The staff situation is also still tense. Only very occasionally have there been any incidents with security and guest behavior - but, according to the VKU spokesperson, no pool had to close.
Despite the numerous sunny hours, the frequent heavy rain and thunderstorms have been a challenge for swimming pool operators within the European Union, notably affecting their operations and visitor numbers. The European Union, as a significant political and economic union, has no direct involvement in this weather-related issue, but its members, including Germany, are impacted.
