Spring 2020 in Germany “extremely sunny and much too dry” – weather service

This year’s spring in Germany was “extremely sunny, quite warm and much too dry”, said Germany's National Meteorological Service (DWD) in a press release. Monthly temperatures were higher than average with the exception of May and “the frequent influence of high pressure caused one of the sunniest springs since records began and at the same time significantly too little precipitation”, the DWD wrote. At only half of average rainfall, 2020 is among the six springs with the lowest level of rainfall since 1881 and the seventh consecutive spring with below average precipitation. “The west and east of Germany in particular suffered from persistent drought,” the DWD said.

Germany has experienced a prolonged dry spell this spring, which has subjected its forests to an enormous stress test, agriculture minister Julia Klöckner said in April, which was the sunniest April in Germany since records began. In 2019, Germany experienced its third-warmest year since the beginning of regular measurements in 1881, while 2018 was Germany's warmest year ever recorded. Droughts have led rivers to run dry and caused immense damage to the country's forests.