Heavy Downpours and Scarce Sunlight Mark July 2025
In July 2025, Germany experienced a series of unprecedented weather events that left the nation reeling. The month was marked by temperature fluctuations, weather extremes, and record rainfall, as revealed by the latest evaluations of weather data for Germany by the German Weather Service (DWD).
The unusual weather patterns were primarily driven by a combination of climate change effects and a complex atmospheric setup. Germany experienced unusually high temperatures early in July, with cities like Hamburg and Cologne seeing up to 37–40 °C, earlier than the typical early August heat peaks. This shift to earlier, intense heat is linked to long-term climate change, causing more frequent and intense heat episodes. However, these high temperatures occurred in short bursts rather than prolonged spells.
Toward the end of July, a deep cold wave developed over the Alps and moved southward into central Europe and the Mediterranean. This atmospheric trough pushed much colder air into regions including southern Germany, causing a sudden and sharp temperature drop of 4–8 °C below normal and replacing ongoing heat with cooler weather and severe weather fronts. This reversal contributed to rapid temperature fluctuations.
The cold wave and associated frontal systems brought substantial precipitation to parts of Germany. In the Alps, July usually sees around 178 mm of rainfall over 17 days, and in 2025, enhanced precipitation was reported, likely linked to the frontal weather systems accompanying the cold wave.
Locally, up to 450 liters per square meter of rainfall was measured in July 2025. Record-breaking weather changes were experienced throughout the month, with the average temperature for July 2025 being 18.4 degrees Celsius, exceeding the 1961 to 1990 reference period by 1.5 degrees. However, compared to the more recent reference period 1991 to 2020, the temperature was average.
Despite more summer days recorded, especially in the south, a new heat wave did not occur. The excessive rainfall in July 2025 was due to the weather situation Trog Central Europe, which brought repeated shower-like and partly stormy rainfalls. The north and northeast of Germany, as well as the Alpine region, were particularly affected by extreme rainfall. Compared to the more recent reference period 1991 to 2020 (87 liters of rain per square meter), the precipitation in July 2025 was more than 30 percent higher.
In many places, a light jacket was more appropriate than swimwear due to the cool weather. The duration of sunshine was low, especially in the north, northeast, and Alpine region, but more than 200 hours of sunshine were measured in the southwest. Compared to the reference period 1961 to 1990, the sunshine duration in July 2025 was one-sixth below the reference value of 226 hours of sunshine.
On July 10th, it was particularly cold in Meßstetten, Baden-Württemberg, with a nationwide low of 3.5 degrees Celsius. A northwesterly flow towards the end of the month brought cool weather. Record above-average precipitation was experienced in several regions during July 2025.
In summary, the unusual July 2025 weather in Germany resulted from the interplay of climate change-driven early heat waves, followed by a significant cold air intrusion from the south due to an upper-level atmospheric trough, causing rapid temperature shifts and increased rainfall. This pattern of short intense heat spells interrupted by sharp cooling and precipitation explains the weather extremes observed that month. It is important to note that no single cause explains all features; rather, it was the combination of these climate and meteorological dynamics that produced the unusual July 2025 weather in Germany.
Weather forecasting in August 2025 became crucial as the German Weather Service (DWD) predicted a potential continuation of the weather patterns experienced in July, with a focus on temperature fluctuations and precipitation.
Given the unusual combination of climate change effects and complex atmospheric setups that destabilized weather patterns in July, scientists urged continued vigilance and improved weather-forecasting systems to better prepare for potential extremes in the coming months.
