climate
Weather service: Autumn 2023 second warmest since measurements began
A tree with autumn leaves in the city forest of Düsseldorf. photo
© Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa
This year’s autumn ends with the onset of winter. But overall, according to initial evaluations, the season was significantly too warm. The DWD announces details.
According to a preliminary assessment by the German Weather Service, this year’s autumn is the second warmest in Germany since Measurements began in 1881. And the period from January to November 2023 is also in second place with an average of 11.2 degrees. “We still have to wait for December, but 2023 is likely to be one of the warmest years in Germany again,” said Uwe Kirsche from the German Weather Service (DWD) on Wednesday in Offenbach.
Despite the onset of winter with snow, slippery slopes and ice in the past few days, meteorologists recorded an average temperature of 11.5 degrees this fall. The value is 2.7 degrees higher than the value of the internationally valid reference period 1961 to 1990, reported the DWD after initial evaluations of the results of its around 2,000 measuring stations.
Warmest autumn in southern Germany
Accordingly, only autumn 2006 was warmer with an average temperature of 12 degrees. It is also the 13th autumn that is too warm in a row. In southern Germany it was even the warmest autumn since measurements began, the meteorologists explained. The highest temperature was measured on September 12th in Waghäusel-Kirrlach (Baden-Württemberg) at 33.3 degrees. “Severe frosts with minus 10 degrees in the eastern low mountain ranges formed the winter autumn finale,” it said.
In addition, the season was not only particularly warm with lots of sunshine, but according to the weather service it was also the wettest autumn since 2002 with an unusually wet November.
In order to compare statistics, meteorologists summarize the seasons into whole months: September, October and November form the meteorological autumn. In contrast, the calendar or astronomical beginning of autumn this year was on September 23rd, when day and night are of equal length.