- The Summer's peak of scorching heat hits Rhineland-Palatinate.
The Sweltering Summer in Rheinland-Pfalz broke records, hitting an exceptional heatwave - even surpassing previous records. The German Weather Service (DWD) confirmed that the summer in Rheinland-Pfalz took off late in July, following a rocky start. After this hiccup, temperatures skyrocketed: On August 13, DWD recorded the nationwide highest temperature of 36.5 degrees Celsius in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler.
Hotter Than Usual
The mean temperature soared to 18.4 degrees Celsius, which was 2.1 degrees Celsius higher than the internationally recognized benchmark of 16.3 degrees Celsius between 1961 and 1990.
Furthermore, the region was drier than usual. With 185 liters per square meter (comparison value: 218 liters), Rheinland-Pfalz ranked second to the last place in the national ranking. The sun made a frequent appearance and shone for an extended 710 hours (previously, 595 hours).
Scalding Nationwide
The extreme heatwave wasn't confined to Rheinland-Pfalz; it spread across the country. The mean temperature was 18.5 degrees Celsius, which was 2.2 degrees Celsius higher than the recognized benchmark between 1961 and 1990, reported DWD. In comparison to the current, hotter reference period between 1991 and 2020 (17.6 degrees Celsius), the deviation was smaller at 0.9 degrees Celsius.
In conclusion, the summer of 2024 was not a new record-breaker, but instead marked the "28th consecutive warm summer," according to the DWD's findings.
The scalding heatwave extended beyond Rheinland-Pfalz, affecting other parts of the country as well. This other-region's mean temperature also increased significantly, surpassing the recognized benchmark.
Despite Rheinland-Pfalz not setting new record-breakers, the overall summer of 2024 was marked as part of a series of other warm summers, affecting the country as a whole.
