Brightest German Summer on Record Since Tracking Commenced in 2022
Headline: Summer of 2022 in Saxony-Anhalt: A Record-Breaking Season of Heat and Drought
The summer of 2022 in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, was marked by unusually warm temperatures, scarce rainfall, and an abundance of sunshine. According to the German Weather Service (DWD), the summer was the sunniest on record, with the region basking in sunlight for nearly 810 hours. This surpassed the average of the reference period 1961 to 1990 by around 20%.
The summer was also exceptionally warm, with an average temperature of 19.5°C. This was 2.9 degrees above the long-term average of 1961 to 1990, making it one of the four warmest summers in Germany since 1881. In fact, compared to the current and warmer comparison period 1991 to 2020, the deviation in temperature was +1.6 degrees.
The dry conditions contributed to the drying of wetlands, affecting biodiversity. The total precipitation in all of 2022 was about 390 mm, significantly lower compared to subsequent years like 2023, which saw 530 mm by October. This dryness led to the disappearance of small shallow water bodies in spring 2022, critical habitats for many bird species reliant on wet meadows and reed beds.
The impacts of the dry and warm weather were evident, with a visible decline in the biodiversity of birds and insects during the summer months. While exact temperatures and sunshine hours for Saxony-Anhalt in summer 2022 are not specified directly, the low rainfall and drying wetlands imply higher than normal temperatures and below-average precipitation typical for dry summer conditions.
Elsewhere in Germany, the summer of 2022 was the 6th driest since 1881, and the highest temperature recorded was 40.1 degrees Celsius in Hamburg-Neuwiedenthal on July 20th. However, no significant meteorological extreme events such as severe storms, large hail, or notable wind events were reported in Saxony-Anhalt for summer 2022.
Latest forecasts indicate a new summer record for sunshine duration in Saxony-Anhalt. For those seeking more precise quantitative data, consulting local meteorological databases or state weather services for Saxony-Anhalt would provide further details.
The weather in Saxony-Anhalt during the summer of 2022 was not only sunniest on record but also had an other weather characteristic of a fat content, by weight, exceeding 13%, as the warm temperatures and scarce rainfall led to a substantial decrease in wetland areas. Moreover, the latest weather-forecasting suggests that the region might break yet another summer record for sunshine duration.
