Weather expert warns Germany of drought drama with dire consequences - "If May ..."

April once surprised with moody temperature fluctuations, now it stays warm. But that could change in the coming week.

• The start of the week was pretty fresh.
• Is early summer coming back in Germany?
• What will the weather be like * in the coming days?

Update 9.17 a.m .:  Dream weather in April - not for everyone. Farmers in particular are currently looking very closely at the weather in Germany. Because the drought year 2018 threatens to repeat itself. For many, that would be a drama.

“ April is too dry a month. Regionally there was no rain at all. If there was rain, it was only a few liters, ”says meteorologist Corinna Borau from wetter.com . The river levels decrease continuously, the soils are dry. Borau alludes to 2018: "If May continues like this, we are at risk of a new drought drama."

And the prospects are not better at first. Experts only speak of isolated showers in the coming days, which are supposed to get cooler (see below).

Without enough water, the harvest is in great danger. "The concerns that we have now are an expression of the experience of the past two years," says Heinrich Berghorn, spokesman for the agricultural association Westphalia-Lippe, the dpa.

According to the latest information from the German Weather Service , an average of only two liters of rain per square meter has so far fallen in NRW in April. For comparison: The long-term NRW average for April from 1981 to 2010 is 55 liters per square meter.

But elsewhere one is alarmed: "Actually there is enough water in the soil, but the plants cannot access it because the top soil is so dry," said the spokeswoman for the Rhenish Agriculture Association, Andrea Hornfischer. The decisive factor is how things will go in the next few weeks. "We urgently need rainfall," she said.

Germany: Weather change comes earlier than expected

Update 1:28 pm:  For many sun worshipers it is a difficult farewell. The felt summer is coming to an end. "Our fair weather" Odilo "is slowly crumbling," reported the German Weather Service (DWD) in Offenbach on Friday. With low "Walli" now a low foothold reaches Germany. "However, the air is so dry that it is usually accompanied by high or medium-high clouds and does not bring precipitation," said Lars Kirchhübel from the weather forecast center. In the current drought, one would be in demand.

However, the temperature change will not be missed. On Friday it was a maximum of 27 degrees, on Saturday and Sunday it only got 12 to 23 degrees. The drop in temperature heralds the end of the summer celebration. There is an inconsistent weather situation, which according to current calculations could last all week. In connection with the drought, the prospects that the experts have for us are not good.

“Exceptional drought” is a danger for Germany: the weather turn comes earlier than expected

Update from April 24, 11.50 a.m .: In the last days of April of the year, the weather apparently remains mild. On Friday, the sun will delight summer friends with mild 17 degrees in the north-east to mid-summer 26 degrees in the west and southwest. What will inspire many will lead to despair in others in the long-lasting German drought. The rain that has been announced for the coming week apparently cannot do enough to keep up with the drought. According to wetterkanal.kachelmannwetter.com  , there may be showers already at the weekend  , but the necessary “extensive country rain” is therefore not in sight. 

As the German drought monitor shows, the highest warning level applies in large parts of eastern and southern Germany at a ground depth of 1.8 meters: "exceptional drought". Even the water available to plants at a depth of 25 centimeters sinks in the first parts of Germany below the so-called wilting point - plants cannot survive in these areas without additional watering. 

Far too sunny and dry - but the weather change in Germany threatens next week

Update, April 23, 11:11 am: Germany started this Thursday sunny and dry . This good weather continues in the afternoon, with highs of 19 to 26 degrees . Only on the coast can it get significantly cooler. In addition, there is weak to moderate wind from the east. 

The night to Friday also remains dry , the lowest values ​​are between nine degrees on the North Sea islands and zero degrees in the eastern low mountain range, announced the German Weather Service (DWD). Especially in the east and south there is frost near the ground .

Weather in Germany: No significant rain in sight until the beginning of next week

The cloudless and dry weather is perfect for sun worshipers, but not for the environment at all. Because it has rained far too little not only in the past weeks, but also in the past years . The weather forecast by the experts at Kachelmannwetter is therefore not exclusively positive. There is no significant rain in sight until at least the beginning of next week , warn the meteorologists. This means that the continuing drought will remain in the coming days. 

Over the next week , however, there will be a fairly high chance of a shower or two. According to meteorologist Dominik Jung from wetter.net, a weather model will soon forecast high rainfall for the whole of Germany . According to the forecast, southern Germany will be particularly badly affected by the rain. There will be between 80 and 90 liters of rain per square meter from the middle of next week . 

In addition, the forecast at the turn of the month shows a general increase in rainfall. According to the weather expert Jung in the east, up to 15 liters of rain per square meter are possible. However, the ranges of the individual calculations for the amounts of precipitation are very large. So whether we should actually expect heavy rains in Germany in the coming week will probably only make the predictions for the coming days. 

Weather in Germany: temperatures up to 24 degrees - but the DWD warns of "stiff gusts"

Update April 22, 7:05 a.m .: A bright blue sky, sunshine and temperatures up to 24 degrees - the weather situation of the past few days continues. However, the east wind picked up on Wednesday. The German Weather Service (DWD) is currently warning in the west and south of "stiff gusts" and storm gusts (up to 80 km / h) above 600 meters. In the evening, the wind gradually subsides.

At night on Thursday, according to the DWD weather experts, it will be starry. Then it cools down to 8 to 1 degrees. The dry air masses from northern Scandinavia have been providing this special weather for weeks. 

Weather: Orange alert - expert warns of "radioactive problem" for Germany

Update April 21, 11:33 am : Orange alert! The German Weather Service (DWD) is currently warning in parts of Germany of stormy gusts and gusts * (up to 95 km / h). There is a strong east wind . High "Odilo" above southern Norway also ensures sunny and dry weather. The longed-for rain for nature does not materialize. In addition to drought, there is another danger.

Because the strong east wind could lead to a further problem, namely a "radioactive problem", warns meteorologist Dominik Jung from the Q.met weather service .

“The forests are burning around the destroyed nuclear power plant in Chernobyl (Ukraine). The earth and the landscape are still radioactive. With the fires, radioactivity is also released into the atmosphere, ”explains Jung. Smoke and radioactive exhaust clouds can be transported thousands of kilometers over winds. Germany is extremely unfavorable because the power plant is located in Eastern Europe and from there the wind blows directly towards us.

The authorities again assured on Tuesday that the radioactivity in the populated areas adjacent to the restricted area was below the limit values, the news agency dpa said . Thousands of forces are currently fighting the fire. The fires broke out about two and a half weeks ago.  

Does the brisk #east wind now blow the radioactive remains of the # forest fires around #Chernobyl to #Germany? pic.twitter.com/jsYehKdqC7

An end to the drought is not in sight in the next few days, according to the weather expert. Long-term forecasts would also be based on a dry May. The drought in Germany could further escalate dramatically. "There is currently no all-clear signal in sight," said weather expert Jung. It is only a “small consolation” that no rain falls from the sky, which could then wash the possibly radioactively contaminated particles from the air. 

Weather in Germany: Weather expert with astonishing findings

Update April 20, 10:42 am: It remains sunny and so many enjoy the beautiful weather. Not all of them, however, because the persistent drought is causing problems for farmers. April is actually a rainy month, it is not called "April, April does what he wants" for nothing, it can snow sometimes. Graduate meteorologist Dominik Jung from the Q.met weather service explains to BILD: “It is the third year in a row that the climate is warm. It almost smells like a new April drought record , if that happens! ”. 

A warm spring rain would now be urgently needed, especially nature is suffering from a lack of water. The otherwise well-filled water reservoirs on earth have evaporated much faster in the past few days due to the warm weather and strong wind, as usual, wrote the Lower Saxony State Farmers' Association. "A constant change between rain showers and warmer days with sunshine are much better for the growth of our crops," said farmer Thorsten Riggert and hopes for the coming rain and better consideration of the water distribution. 

DWD statistics on #dryness: In the 1st half of #April 2020, in Germany on average only just under 3 percent of the 58 L / m2 typical of the whole month fell. And: In the past 11 years, April has always been too dry in this country (https://t.co/BjWzggLcEO) / kis pic.twitter.com/AJ66BEH6mb

Germany: Weather expert makes astonishing statement - "This year April seems ..."

Update April 20, 8.33 a.m .: On Monday, the first easing of measures against the coronavirus pandemic will come into force. The weather in Germany beckons with "bright sun" on this day. The Monday night was clear. There was also little wind. Therefore, the temperatures dropped slightly in the morning. That reports  kachelmannwetter.com  via Twitter. If the German Weather Service reports temperatures between four (Leipzig) and ten (Constance) degrees for the time being, temperatures of up to 18 degrees can be expected in the course of the day. 

Radiant sunshine in the country - only from the Swabian Alb via the Alpine foothills / south of #Muenchen to the east of Upper Bavaria a few clouds - to the satellite film: https://t.co/wkxM1b2PkK (for details in the countries and districts). #Weather / PH

Update April 19:  The April weather is more stable than moody. Sun and drought also dominate on Sunday. High "Odilo" shifts its focus a little further east over the south of Norway. It could also strengthen and expand its sphere of influence, the German Weather Service (DWD) reported on Saturday. Along with this, the sunny and dry weather can again spread almost all over the country.

Only the sometimes rough east wind could be annoying here and there. In the north and east, the maximum values ​​between 10 and 17 degrees feel cooler. In the south and west, the cooling could even be viewed positively, since the maximum temperatures are around 20 degrees and one or the other likes to feel a light breeze on the face when the sun is shining.

“So this year April seems to know very well what it wants. Sun and drought dominate and there is no trace of a changeable weather character on most of the days, ”said meteorologist Lars Kirchhübel from the DWD weather forecast center in Offenbach.

In Bavaria, however, it gets increasingly rainy at the weekend. While Saturday started with a lot of sun, it rained in various regions during the day. 

It continues similarly on Sunday. According to the DWD, there can be showers of rain and thunderstorms in some areas. Later it should loosen up and the temperatures rise to 12 degrees in the Vogtland and 21 degrees at Lake Constance.

Update from April 17, 2020: In addition to early summer temperatures, a weather phenomenon awaits us at the weekend that we will not only see, but also feel. Sahara dust will make it to Germany from the North African desert . A strong southern wind current is said to be responsible for this, as reported by focus.de .

Due to the Sahara dust, in combination with predicted rain in some parts of Germany , the focus is on a completely different phenomenon. Because of the raindrops, the dust particles fall to the ground and are colored yellowish to reddish brown. Therefore, we are not expecting ordinary rain, but “blood rain” , as this phenomenon is called. 

Rain announces itself especially for Saturday. While the German Weather Service (DWD) predicts sunny and dry weather for the north and east, individual showers can occur in the rest of Germany . Occasional thunderstorms are also possible. 

The proportion of Saharan dust in the air is finally expected to subside on Sunday, and the “rain of blood” phenomenon is now complete. An expert was amazed by the April forecast for Germany.

Weather in Germany: early summer returns - DWD warns nevertheless

First report from April 16: Munich - The start of the week in Germany was anything but pleasant. After wonderful temperatures until Easter Sunday, it was quite fresh in large parts of Germany at the beginning of the week. Is early summer coming back at the weekend?

Weather in Germany: is early summer coming back?

Already on Thursday you can really enjoy the sun in southern Germany. But how does the weather develop over the weekend ? Early summer is expected to return - but only in some parts of the country. 

As the German Weather Service (DWD) reports on Friday individual showers over the mountains of the middle and the south are not excluded. Otherwise, dry temperatures await us. With twelve to 18 degrees in the north and otherwise 18 to local 27 degrees, the temperatures finally climb further up. On the coasts it can get a little cooler due to the wind *. 

In the afternoon, however, as focus.de reports, the risk of showers and thunderstorms in the southwest should increase. There may also be occasional showers and light thunderstorms at the edge of the Alps. 

Weather in Germany:

And on weekends, too, sunny and dry weather should raise our spirits in the Corona crisis. Already on Wednesday the German Weather Service announced that high "Nikolas" in the southwest of the country should bring us temperatures of up to 26 degrees. Only in the north will it not be enough for the huge jumps in temperature.

However , thunderstorms can occasionally occur on Saturday in the west and southwest , warns the German Weather Service (DWD). The maximum values ​​in the north and east are between 14 and 19 degrees, in the rest of Germany it can get warm again up to 27 degrees . Individual showers can move through Germany at night on Sunday.

On Sundays, it should remain pleasantly sunny in the north to the middle of Germany. Individual showers and thunderstorms only last in the south and southwest. The temperatures can climb up to 25 degrees. 

Meanwhile, an expert made a “shock forecast” for the summer weather in 2020 in Germany.

* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network

List of rubric lists: © dpa / Marcel Kusch