Water poverty meets heavy rain: summer 2024 in our region in retrospect

Water poverty meets heavy rain: summer 2024 in our region in retrospect

The summer of 2024 is coming to an end and has again reached record values that remind us of the challenges of climate change. The average temperature reached 18.5 degrees Celsius, which corresponds to an increase of 2.2 degrees compared to the long -applicable reference period from 1961 to 1990. According to the evaluations of the German Weather Service (DWD), this is already the 28th summer in a row, which is considered too warm.

In the early stages of this summer, however, many regions of Germany still experienced cool temperatures. This phase, referred to as "cold cold", was noted on June 12 in Meßstetten, where the temperatures dropped to frosty 1.4 degrees. The change only came in August, when the highest temperature of the year was registered in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler at 36.5 degrees. Most of the hot days were documented in the deep areas in the south and east of Germany, while on the coastal regions such as Helgoland only a few summer days were recorded, which is particularly remarkable.

extreme weather phenomena

The precipitation this summer shows a mixed picture. With 240 liters per square meter, the amount of rain fell on average within the usual values. But the regional differences illustrate the extremes: while over 600 liters were measured in the Alps, many parts of the northeast were severely affected by water poverty with less than 150 liters. On a single day, August 1st, 169.8 liters of rain fell in Trendelburg, although only 114.9 liters were registered in Thuringia. The precipitation, which fluctuates between extreme weather phenomena, illustrates the challenges with which the region is faced.

a sunny summer, but with differences

Despite the cool initial phase and the extreme regenerated events, the sunshine duration this summer was remarkably high: over 712 hours of sunshine were measured, which corresponds to an increase of almost 15 percent compared to the reference period from 1961 to 1990. In contrast, some regions, especially in the Alps, remained less than 600 hours, which the regional discrepancies further show in the weather conditions.

The very different temperature distribution and the obstacles of water poverty in some regions of Germany illustrate how climate change influences in all facets of the weather. The DWD emphasizes that the progressive climate change not only makes the weather warm, but also unpredictable, and gives an outlook on the challenges that will expect in the coming years.