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The climate of Germany
According to the Köppen climate classification Germany has a moderate
maritime climate (type Cfb) with mild winters, no extremely hot
summers and precipitation all year round. However, because of
several mountainous and hilly regions there are quite a lot of
differences in weather. Within a radius of 100 kilometers large
differences in temperatures and weather may occur, especially when
there is no higher situated zone in between. It is not guaranteed
that the southern part of Germany is warmer than other parts. Long
term average temperatures show that the northwestern part of Germany
is indeed cooler during the summer. However, during the winter this
is the other way round. Because most cold air is supplied from the
north and east and the northwest and west are positively influenced
by the North Sea; the further you move from west to east the colder
it gets. This mainly applies to higher situated regions such as the
Thuringian forest, the Bavarian Forest, the
Black Forest, Sauerland
and the Bavarian Alps.
Climate information of places and areas in Germany
The climate information given on this page is only brief. Specific
information on weather and climate can be found on the pages per
region or city. The following climate information is available for
Germany:
Unpredictable spring
Because the climate in Germany is not as strongly influenced by the
North Sea as the climate in the Netherlands and the number of
factors that influence the weather is larger, spring is
unpredictable. During spring there may be large differences in
weather throughout the country as well. A difference of 20 degrees
within 24 hours is not uncommon. In general, the first springlike
days can be recorded in March. However, spring really starts in
April and in some cases May. A period with warm weather can also be
followed up by a cold period. In most regions spring is the driest
season. During the course of spring chances of precipitation
especially increase in the south (Bavaria) and in Central Germany (Sauerland).
Warm summers
On average summers are slightly warmer in Germany than in the
Netherlands as well as chances of tropical weather and heat waves.
However, summers may also be bleak with fairly high precipitation
figures, grey weather and fairly low temperatures. If you plan to
spend your summer in Germany you should bear this in mind. It may
also be sunny for a few weeks with summer or even tropical
temperatures. This mainly occurs when a high pressure area lies over
Germany or slightly north from Germany. When this occurs depressions
have no chance and mainly warm air is supplied from the east. In
Germany there is no risk of hurricanes, cyclones or other extreme
weather conditions. However, heavy rain and or thunderstorms are not
uncommon. These phenomena may especially occur after a period with
very warm and muggy weather.
Precipitation
Most precipitation can be recorded during the summer. During the
winter precipitation may fall in the form of snow, especially in
regions located above 500 meters. Rain may fall in the form of
showers. However, longer periods with rainfall may occur as well.
Germany gets 400-2,400 millimeters of annual precipitation, the
average is about 800-900 millimeters. The wettest regions are
Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. Baldeschwang weather station records
the highest annual precipitation: 2,450 millimeters. The driest
regions in Germany are Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg.
Atzendorf weather station (Marbeschacht) is the driest spot in
Germany with only 399.2 millimeters of annual precipitation on
average.
Winter sports in Germany
During the winter there are several places in Germany where you can go
on winter sports. Because the mountains here are not as high as in
Austria and Switzerland snow is not always guaranteed, with the
exception of the most southern part of Bavaria where the Alps are
situated and the mountains have altitudes up to 3,000 meters. A
famous winter sports region here is
Garmisch-Partenkirchen which is
located near Switzerland. Here an annual ski jumping contest is held
on new year’s day, which is watched on television by millions of
people. Lower situated winter sports regions can be found in
Sauerland where the most popular cities are Winterberg and
Willingen.
Wintry conditions may also cause a lot of traffic congestion. Every
year many traffic accidents occur caused by snowfall and glazed
frost. This is also why special winter tires are obliged during
wintry conditions. These tires provide better grip and a much
shorter braking distance than normal or so called ‘all season’
tires.
Climate figures
The figures below are based on long term weather and climate data
and can be seen as an average for Germany. The regions of
Baden-Wurttemberg and Bavaria are much wetter, former East Germany
is drier. During the winter it is colder in the higher situated
areas. The temperature of the sea is an average for the North Sea
and the coast of the Baltic Sea.
More climate information
Climate tables are useful but they don’t give an overall picture of
the climate and possible weather conditions during a period of time.
How high the chances are of hot or cold weather or hurricanes can
often not be found in these tables. This is why we offer extra
climate information per month. The figures below apply to the
largest part of Germany. Chances of wintry weather are higher in the
higher situated regions (300-400 meters). Chances of long lasting
precipitation are highest in the southern part of Germany. UV-index
figures may be lower in the north and higher in the south. Chances
of (very) warm weather are highest in Central Germany.
Disclaimer
The information at this site was carefully composed from climate data collected by meteorological services, meteorological offices, climate experts and other sources. “More climate info” is based on statistics, climate data and personal experience. No rights can be derived from this site. Weather has no memory and gives no guaranties. Nothing is as changeable and unpredictable as the weather. The authors of this site feel in no way responsible for any damages caused by misinterpretation or other circumstances that may influence your holiday or trip to a certain destination. We provide information, it’s up to the reader to use it to it’s benefit.
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= 0-5 mm ●
= 6-30 mm ●
= 31-60 mm ●
= 61-100 mm ●
= 101-200 mm ●
=
over 200 mm
