The Weather in Germany in November 2018 November Also Warm, Dry and Sunny Again

The weather in Germany in November 2018 November also warm, dry and sunny again

Offenbach, 29 November 2018 – November was another in the sequence of excessive- ly warm, dry and sunny months, which began in April. The reason for this was that most of the time high pressure had prevailed, which allowed only a few low pressure areas to move in over central Europe. This is what the initial analysis by the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) of data from its around 2,000 weather stations shows.

A summery start to the month – later frequent night-time frosts At 5.3 degrees Celsius (°C), the average temperature in November was 1.3 degrees higher than the figure for the international reference period 1961–1990. Looking at the comparative period 1981–2010, the deviation was 0.9 degrees above normal. The weather during the first half of November 2018 could again be described as almost summery, with temperatures frequently above 20 °C as a result of southerly flows par- ticularly on the leeward side of the Alps and some low mountain ranges. This temperature mark was reached or exceeded four times in Bad Kohlgrub-Rosshof, to the north of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The highest temperature of the month was 24.2 °C, recorded in Rosenheim on 6 November. Even on 12 November, the temperature at some stations in southern and central Germany again rose to 20 to 21 °C. The warmest place of these was Olbersleben, to the north of Weimar, where a temperature of 21.3 °C was recorded. This made 12 November one of the latest ever dates on which a temperature of more than 20 °C has been recorded in Germany. The last third of the month brought much colder air as a result of the high air pressure shifting from eastern to northern Europe. In most areas, however, this was not sufficient for a real wintry spell. The low- est temperature was on 28 November in Dippoldiswalde-Reinberg, to the south of Dresden, where -10.3 °C was recorded.

Continuation of the drought – snow in some areas during second half of the month The heavy and widespread precipitation that many had hoped for also failed to materi- alise in November. Instead, with over 20 litres per square metre (l/m²), precipitation during the month was as little as one third of the normal 66 l/m², making it the tenth month in succession that was too dry in Germany. The drought intensified especially in the Altmark region in the north of Saxony-Anhalt, across a wide swathe to the north of the Ore Mountains and in areas of Franconia, where less than 10 l/m² fell. In contrast, up to 80 l/m² fell in the far west from the Saarland to the Eifel Mountains. However, there too, nearly all stations saw less than normal precipitation. From 18 November onwards, snow cover was recorded on some days, but this was generally limited to the foothills of the Alps and some areas in low mountain ranges. Nevertheless, on 27 November there was 20 cm of snow in Schöfweg in the Bavarian Forest.

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November 2018 – one of the four sunniest since measurements began in 1951 With around 75 hours, sunshine in November was 141 per cent of the normal, which made the month one of the four sunniest November months since measurements began in 1951. The Bavarian Forest saw most sunshine with up to 125 hours. Frequent fog along the Danube and its tributaries caused some places to record less than 50 hours of sunshine.

All the monthly values stated in this press release are provisional figures. The data used for the last two days of the month are based on forecasts. Some of the measurements from DWD's network of stations were not yet available at the time of publication.

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