The weather in Germany in January 2013

Weather alternated between mild and cold periods

Offenbach, 30 January 2013 – The main feature of the weather in January 2013 was a long cold spell, although it was not enough to take the overall temperature for the month below zero. This was due to spring-like phases during the first ten days and towards the end of the month. All in all, January was comparatively mild but also with very little sunshine. Precipitation was in line with the long-term average, as the initial analysis by the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) of data from its around 2,000 weather stations shows.

14 days of continuous frost, yet with temperatures slightly above average

At 0.1 degrees Celsius (°C), the average temperature in Germany in January 2013 was 0.6 degrees higher than the corresponding figure in the international reference values for 1961 to 1990. However, compared to the period 1981 to 2010, at -0.3°C the deviation was slightly negative. For the full first ten days of the month, Germany was at the north-eastern edge of a high pressure system over France with a continuous flow of cloudy and very mild North Sea air, which at times caused the average temperature to rise sharply above the long-term mean. Hazel and alder pollen was in the atmosphere at an exceptionally early date, causing those with pollen alergies to suffer. There then followed fourteen days of continuous frost, but the thick cloud cover ensured that night time temperatures remained moderate. The lowest temperature for the whole of Germany of -21.3°C was registered on 26 January in Bertsdorf-Hörnitz to the west of Zittau on one of the rare clear nights. Towards the end of the month, mild Atlantic air ended the cold spell and temperatures rose to double-digit figures in some cases.

Abundant rain in some areas, followed by widespread continuous snow cover

At 59 l/m², rainfall across Germany in January 2013 was around 97 per cent of the long-term average of 61 litres. In general, only a small amount of precipitation fell at the start of the month. The low pressure system Alfredo changed this, with enormous quantities of relief rain falling in parts of southern Bavaria and along the northern edge of the Ore Mountains. For instance, an impressive 147 l/m² fell in Aschau in the district of Rosenheim from 4 to 5 January, the highest daily amount for anywhere in Germany. At the start of the second ten days of the month, Germany was increasingly exposed to the flow of very cold air from the east, so that the precipitation gradually changed to snow. On 20 and 21 January heavy snowfalls, combined with an interval of several hours of freezing rain across broad swathes of south-west and western Germany, created a glistening world. This caused everyday life to come to a standstill. On 22 January, 9 cm of snow was measured at Frankfurt Airport, 11 cm in Cologne and 14 cm in Munich. The end of the month then saw mild Atlantic air, which brought a persistent thaw, even at high altitudes. The highest monthly amount of around 200 l/m² was registered in Siegsdorf- Höll to the south of Chiemsee. Artern to the south-east of Nordhausen was, with less than 20 l/m², the driest station in Germany.

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Overcast for days in many areas – total amount of sunshine clearly negative

In Germany, the total of about 22 hours of sunshine for January 2013 was around 50 per cent below the normal average of 44 hours. Some new negative records were set. The most sunshine was recorded in Oberstdorf, with around 56 hours. On the other hand, in western Germany, many places had to wait a long time for their first rays of sunshine for the year. Many places in the Hunsrück Mountains recorded fewer than 10 hours of sunshine.

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