Summer days in the middle of spring: Unusually high temperatures for the beginning of April will reach Germany this weekend. According to preliminary figures, there was already a nationwide heat record for the first ten days of April since weather records began.
In Ohlsbach in the Rhine Valley, 30.1 degrees were measured, as the German Weather Service announced. So far, the record for the monthly decade (April 1st to April 11th) was 27.7 degrees, measured in 2011. “Large parts of the measuring stations today had new highs for the first decade in April, especially in the central and southern federal states,” said spokesman.
However, the 30.1 degrees is only a provisional number. The data will therefore be checked again in the coming days.
In many places today it looked like a completely normal summer day: diehards jumped into the still cool lakes, people were out on their (motor) bikes or hiking. Pedal boats sailed across lakes and people flew kites on the coast. Ice cream parlors sold scoop after scoop.
In contrast, things remained seasonal in Bonn: the cherries there are in full bloom, which attracted many people to the avenues to take photos. In the Eifel, hikers could marvel at the blossoms of wild daffodils. This only happens in spring.
Temperature record in 2012
Just like a short hello to midsummer in April is nothing unique: the current monthly high was registered on April 28, 2012: it was 32.9 degrees that day in Bad Mergentheim (Baden-Württemberg) and Kitzingen (Bavaria). And between 2009 and 2022, according to the DWD, there was always at least one summer day in April with more than 25 degrees in Germany.
But not everyone is a fan of heat, even on summer days; some even suffer from it. People tolerate high temperatures this early in the year even less well than at the end of summer, when they would have gotten used to the warmth, explains medical meteorologist Kathrin Graw from the German Weather Service.
Migraines, circulation and fatigue
In addition, there is currently a change in the weather – from cool to very warm. According to Graw, this can lead to headaches, migraines, fatigue, sleep disorders, fatigue, circulatory problems and poor concentration. Many allergy sufferers are also currently suffering: exposure to birch and ash pollen is high.
For many others, however, summer weather awakens the feeling of spring: “People are becoming more active and going outdoors more. This lifts the mood and spreads a good mood,” explains medical meteorologist Graw. The sun’s rays stimulate the production of vitamin D and serotonin – the latter is also known as the happiness hormone, which has a mood-enhancing effect.
Temperature extremes cannot be explained solely by climate change
According to the DWD, Germany will continue to experience “exceptionally warm air” in the coming days. 18 to 29 degrees are possible, in the south it could even reach 31 degrees locally. On Monday it will continue like this in many parts: a maximum of 24 to 29 degrees is expected, in the northwest half 15 to 23 degrees.
According to the DWD, various factors play a role in the current weather situation: an Atlantic that is too warm, coupled with a current from the southwest, which is further intensified by a hurricane low west of Ireland. Added to this is the expected sunny weather.
The extreme temperatures cannot therefore be explained solely by climate change, explained the head of the DWD regional advisory service in Munich, Guido-Peter Wolz.
