The German Weather Service expects the summer to be too hot again this year. This has an impact on health and the environment – and is not least a consequence of climate change.
The German Weather Service (DWD) expects temperatures to be too high throughout the summer and warns of extreme drought. The spokesman for the DWD in Offenbach, Andreas Friedrich, told Reuters TV that the trend forecast shows that the meteorological summer from June to August “will be too warm again”.
Also in the summer of 2023 probably too little rain
According to Friedrich, it can be difficult again in some regions of Germany due to the drought. “Because in Germany, too, too little rain is being forecast for the summer of 2023,” said Friedrich. In the east in particular there is already far too little precipitation.
This is a problem for agriculture and of course also for the risk of forest fires.
The DWD already estimates the risk of forest fires to be particularly high these days, as the service announced on Twitter.
Problems for allergy sufferers and shipping
The drought also affects health. Friedrich said: “The solar radiation is very high and many are not yet very tanned”. You have to be “very careful and pay attention to sun protection”.
The weather is also a problem for people who are allergic to pollen. According to Friedrich, the dry, windy and at the same time sunny conditions mean that there is a very high level of pollution, especially with grass pollen.
In addition, he also expects the consequences for shipping again, explained Friedrich – “although there have not yet been any major restrictions in the West”. But in the course of the summer it must be expected “that river levels will of course continue to fall”.
A consequence of climate change
In general, all of this is a result of climate change, emphasized Friedrich. “Yes, of course we live in times of climate change, and it’s normal that we keep having temperatures that are too high.”
Climate simulations show that there is less precipitation, especially in summer, “if only interrupted by short-term heavy rain events, but across the board there is rather too little precipitation and temperatures that are too high,” said Friedrich. “So here we are now experiencing climate change more and more every year.”