Germany's 2023/24 winter unusually wet and third warmest on record – meteorological service
Clean Energy Wire / Die Zeit
Germany has experienced its third warmest winter season since records began, according to the country's meteorological service, DWD. An average temperature of 4.1 degrees Celsius (°C) catapulted winter 2023/2024 into third place behind the extremely mild winters of 2006/2007 and 2019/2020. February this year set a new "unprecedented" monthly temperature record of 6.6 °C, according to a report in newspaper Die Zeit. The winter was so warm that the allergy season started prematurely with heavy hazel and alder pollen counts causing problems earlier than usual, DWD reported.
At the same time, this winter was one of the wettest since 1881. Some 270 litres of precipitation per square meter fell across the country from the beginning of December to the end of February – 50 percent more than the usual amount. Exceptionally high levels of rainfall in December triggered flooding and caused extensive damage particularly in Germany's north.
In January, DWD reported that 2023 marked Germany's hottest year since records began in 1881. The year's average temperature reached 10.6 degrees Celsius, 1.3°C higher than the reference period 1991 to 2020.
