Weather
According to the weather service, October was very wet and significantly too mild
Colorful – but also record-breaking in terms of rainfall and temperatures: That’s how October in Germany can be summed up. photo
© Matthias Bein/dpa
One could only dream of a golden October in parts of Germany this year. There was hardly a day without rain on the North Sea. Elsewhere it was still really summery for a long time.
According to a preliminary balance, October 2023 was in Germany exceptionally wet and very mild in comparison. The German Weather Service (DWD) spoke in Offenbach of the rainiest October since 2002 and therefore for more than 20 years.
The DWD registered around 100 liters per square meter, almost 80 percent more precipitation than in the internationally valid reference period 1961 to 1990. Compared to the values for the period 1991 to 2020, the increase was almost 60 percent.
There were only a few dry days in the North Sea area, the DWD explained after initial evaluations of the results from its around 2,000 measuring stations. With monthly volumes of over 200 liters per square meter in some places, it was record-breakingly wet there. From the middle of the month there was also increased rain in the middle and south.
Dornum in East Frisia reported the daily maximum amount of rain on October 11th with 50.7 liters per square meter. In Bavaria, the driest federal state, the monthly value was 66 liters. The DWD also recalled the severe storm surge on the Baltic Sea, which caused serious damage.
Month clearly too mild
Apart from a short “cold shock” with light night frosts, October was also significantly too mild, according to the DWD. The DWD registered “summer nuances”, especially in the first half of the month: Rheinfelden and Müllheim in the Upper Rhine Graben reported another 30.1 degrees on October 13th. Even at night there were values that are otherwise only achieved in the summer months. The weather service noted that the vegetation was only slowly turning towards autumn.
A drop in temperature followed; on average it was suddenly 15 degrees colder. The result was night frost. Minus 4.9 degrees was measured in Oberharz am Brocken on October 18th. The above-average mild weather then continued.
Overall, according to the DWD, the month is one of the five warmest Octobers since measurements began in 1881. According to the information, the average temperature was 11.9 degrees, which is 2.9 degrees above the value of the reference period 1961 to 1990. In comparison to In the current and warmer comparison period from 1991 to 2020, the deviation was plus 2.5 degrees.
The sun shone for around 100 hours in October, roughly fulfilling its target. However, in the rainy north, especially on the coasts, the DWD only recorded around 60 hours of sunshine.
October comes to an end this Tuesday with wind, clouds and rain, as the DWD predicted. “Lows seem to be feeling very comfortable over Germany at the moment,” explained meteorologist Robert Hausen. Deep “Cord” is bringing heavy rainfall across the country, and the snowfall limit in the Alps is dropping to around 1,500 meters. It remains comparatively mild with maximum temperatures of up to 16 degrees – except in the extreme north, where light frost is possible on Wednesday night. At the beginning of November on Wednesday, low “Dieter” moves in, but that doesn’t change the weather.