Soaring temperatures with an ominous catch: Germany bakes in record-breaking drought
Weather conditions are becoming sunny and arid.
Have the Ice Saints sped up their arrival?
Eh, not exactly. The chilly blast from the Ice Saints, who traditionally arrive around May 11, set in prematurely. But don't fret, the frozen grip loosens starting this weekend, according to ntv meteorologist Carlo Pfaff.
A warmer weekend... with a twist
After a brutal start to May, the Ice Saints took a hasty detour. By Saturday, we're expecting temperatures to soar, reaching up to 25 degrees in certain areas. Beware, though, as the heatwave is accompanied by a looming threat.
A peek into the weekend weather
The overall temperatures will rise between 17 to 23 degrees, with the Upper Rhine region, Rhineland, and Ruhr area forecasting a scorching 25 degrees on Sunday. You'll find it chillier by the Baltic Sea at 15 degrees.
Sunshine, at last!
Not literally, but we'll see a few clouds pass through the east on Saturday, while the southern regions of the Danube will finally bask in some sunshine. Garmisch-Partenkirchen has been cloudy all week, but by Sunday, expect a sunny day nationwide. Southern Germany can look forward to a whopping 15 hours of sunshine, while the Ore Mountains will get around 10 hours.
Risks associated with the soaring heat
If there's a silver lining, it's that the summerlike conditions will only last till the middle of the week. Thunderstorms may pop up in the Alps and southern Black Forest during afternoons, but overall, there's more sunshine than rain.
A lurking water crisis
The pleasant weather is welcome, but the real concern lies in the chronic shortage of rain. Unfortunate as it may be, Germany is on track to have the driest spring since record-keeping began. In fact, the next 10 days are expected to remain bone-dry, potentially making this spring the driest on record—even drier than 1893 or 2011.
Forecasting a record-breaking dry spring
To recover from this drought, we'd need approximately 25 liters per square meter of rainfall by the end of May, a feat that seems highly improbable given the current weather forecast. So, it seems we're in for a record-breaking dry spring.
Drought across Europe
Strangely enough, as Germany swelters in drought, much of Europe—Italy, in particular—is drenched. This seesaw weather pattern is attributable to the oscillation of high-pressure systems over Scandinavia and low-pressure systems moving across Spain and northern Italy towards the Balkans, causing rain clouds to accumulate in the southern Alps while the northern regions remain barren.
Impact on agriculture and environment
The prolonged drought has alarmed Germany's environment minister, who fears elevated forest fire risks and poor harvests emerging from the troubling water shortage[1]. Other European countries, like Central and Eastern Europe, are also grappling with significant precipitation deficits that threaten farming and water supplies[5].
In summary, Germany is in the throes of an unprecedented dry spell in nearly a century of recorded weather data, posing heightened environmental and agricultural challenges[1][2][4].
Sources: ntv.de
- Weather
- Extreme weather
- Drought
- Water supply
- Despite the premature arrival of the Ice Saints, meteorologist Carlo Pfaff predicts a warmer weekend in Germany, with temperatures reaching up to 25 degrees in certain areas, but accompanied by the threat of a dry spell.
- worrisome as it may be, Germany is on track to have the driest spring since record-keeping began, with the next 10 days expected to remain bone-dry, potentially making this spring the driest on record—even drier than 1893 or 2011.
- To recover from this drought, Germany would need approximately 25 liters per square meter of rainfall by the end of May, a feat that seems highly improbable given the current weather forecast.
- The prolonged drought has alarmed Germany's environment minister, who fears elevated forest fire risks and poor harvests emerging from the troubling water shortage.
- The water shortage also threatens farming and water supplies in other European countries, like Central and Eastern Europe, where significant precipitation deficits have been observed.
