Germany registers record low rainfall | News | DW | 29.11.2018

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Germany registers record low rainfall

A dry spell in Germany that began in February has continued into November, making the summer and fall the driest on record. The drought has impacted farmers and left bodies of water at record lows.

Drought in Germany (picture alliance/dpa/B. Roessler)

Germany experienced its driest summer and fall/autumn this year since records began, the German Weather Service (DWD) said on Thursday.

From June to November, 225 liters of rain fell per square meter of land, an amount far below the previous record low of 268 liters in the year 1911.

Read more: Climate change: 2018 set to be one of hottest ever years

"If you look at summer and fall together, it has never been so dry since the beginning of regular measurements in 1881," the meteorologists said, adding that the dry spell had started in February. 

In the fall, DWD's 2,000 measurement stations recorded an average of 95 liters of rain per square meter, or 51 percent less than the norm of 183 liters. That made the season the fourth driest on record.

The result of the dry spell has been historically low water levels in rivers, streams and lakes. Farmers have also been hit by the drought and provided government support. Germany's vintners, meanwhile, were expecting bumper harvests. 

  • Low Rhine near Cologne (picture-alliance/dpa/R. Vennenbernd)

    Germany's disappearing rivers and lakes

    Rhine River

    Germany's historic Rhine river has approached record lows after months of dry weather. The western state of Rhineland-Palatinate, home to an area of the river known as the Middle Rhine, has been particularly affected. Around 70 percent of Germany is experiencing a drought, according to the German Meteorological Office.

  • Danube in Bavaria, Germany (picture-alliance/dpa/A. Weigel)

    Germany's disappearing rivers and lakes

    Danube River

    The arid climate has caused some navigable parts of the Danube river in Germany to fall so low that ship operators have had to limit trips or cancel them entirely. The Danube, Europe's second-longest river, begins in the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg and empties into the Black Sea between Romania and Ukraine.

  • Elbe river in Saxon Switzerland in Saxony, Germany (picture-alliance/dpa/M. Vennemann)

    Germany's disappearing rivers and lakes

    Elbe River

    Lower water levels have led to thicker banks along the Elbe river that runs through eastern and northern Germany. The river originates in the Krkonoše Mountains in the eastern Czech Republic before running through the German states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein.

  • Sand island in Lake Constance (picture-alliance/dpa/Foto: Internationale Rheinregulierung)

    Germany's disappearing rivers and lakes

    Lake Constance

    The 63-kilometer (39-mile) Lake Constance on the border between Germany, Austria and Switzerland has receded to such a low level that a new island has appeared. Tourists have been able to see the 200-meter-long (656-foot) and 50-meter-wide sandy atoll for several months. The lake is the third-largest in Central Europe and a popular tourist destination.

  • Biggesee lake in North Rhine-Westphalia (picture-alliance/dpa/H. Reeh)

    Germany's disappearing rivers and lakes

    Biggesee lake

    Ships operating in smaller bodies of water have also run into difficulties. Ferries running in the Biggesee lake in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia have had to relocate their landing spots due to low water levels. Experts are unable to predict when the autumn drought will end.

    Author: Alexander Pearson (dpa)


With a temperature average of 10.4 degrees Celsius (50.7 Fahrenheit), September, October and November were 1.6 degrees above the level that would have been expected according to the international reference period from 1961 to 1990.

With around 440 hours of sunshine, there was also 41 percent more sunshine than the 311-hour average. Only once was it ever sunnier.

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