Intense weather events prevailed in July 2025, characterized by an abundance of rainfall and minimal sunshine.
In July 2025, Germany experienced a unique weather pattern, with significant variations in temperature, rainfall, and sunshine duration across the country.
The north, northeast, and Alpine region saw lower sunshine duration compared to the southwest, where over 200 hours were measured. However, record rainfall was experienced in several regions during this month. The German Weather Service (DWD) reported that these weather patterns are based on current evaluations of weather data for Germany.
The unusual weather pattern was caused by a rapid shift from an early-month heat surge to a deep mid/late-July trough and cold wave. This change was driven by large-scale atmospheric blocking and upper-level pattern changes, leading to sharp temperature fluctuations, extreme storms, and record rainfall in some areas.
Early July saw a heat surge due to hot air advection and transient heatwave conditions, producing brief spells of very high temperatures. Towards the end of the month, a persistent blocking high over the North Atlantic allowed a deep upper-level trough (cold wave) to dig south into central Europe and the Mediterranean, abruptly replacing the warm air with much cooler air.
The trough/front interactions produced strong frontal systems that generated severe weather and concentrated heavy rainfall in some areas, leading to localized record or near-record precipitation totals. The contrast between the transient early heat and the subsequent deep trough produced rapid swings from near-40°C highs to values several degrees below normal within days to a week.
Areas hit by the late-July trough and associated frontal cloudiness experienced reduced sunshine hours during the wet/cool period compared with the sunnier heat episodes earlier in the month. Mountain and river valley regions with persistent rain saw particularly low sunshine totals.
The average temperature in July 2025 was 18.4°C, exceeding the 1961-1990 reference period by 1.5°C. Compared to the more recent reference period of 1991-2020, the sunshine duration in July 2025 was one-sixth below the reference value, with a total of 189 hours.
Compared to the more recent reference period, the rainfall in July 2025 was more than 30% above the average. The lowest temperature in Germany during July 2025 was 3.5°C in Meßstetten. No more summer days were recorded nationwide by the end of the first decade of July 2025.
The German Weather Service (DWD) reported uncharacteristically changeable weather in July 2025, with extremes including heat, cold, and above-average rainfall. A very hot start to July 2025 was recorded, with a nationwide maximum of 39.3°C in Andernach. A northwesterly flow towards the end of July 2025 brought cooler weather, making a light jacket more appropriate.
Sources: 1. [Link to source 1] 2. [Link to source 2] 3. [Link to source 3] 4. [Link to source 4] 5. [Link to source 5]
- The unusual weather pattern experienced in Germany in July 2025, including heat waves, cold waves, and extreme rainfall, raised concerns about the impact of climate change on weather patterns.
- Understanding this event from an environmental science perspective, scientists suggest that the extreme weather conditions may be related to the increasing trend of climate-change-induced weather anomalies in various parts of the world.
