2020 was the second warmest year

Heatwave

Heat over Frankfurt am Main. (Image: Xurzon / iStock)

The years 2018 and 2019 were already too warm and too dry. The first data from the German Weather Service confirm that this trend will also be followed in 2020. With an annual mean temperature of 10.4 degrees, 2020 was the second warmest year since comprehensive weather records began in 1881. Only the hot year 2018 was 0.1 degrees warmer. In addition, there was less precipitation than normal last year and the sun shone more often and for longer. Overall, the last decade was the warmest in Germany since measurements began.

Climate change has long been a reality – also here in Germany. According to the latest measurements, our region has warmed by around 1.6 degrees since pre-industrial times. This means that climate change is more pronounced here than the global average of around 1.1 degrees in the same period. In addition to this creeping effect of global warming, climate researchers are also registering a measurable increase in extreme weather conditions in Central Europe: heavy rain, storms, heat waves and periods of drought are becoming more frequent and intense. As a result, there have been multiple records in recent years for short but heavy rainfall, maximum temperatures on hot days and drought.

Mean temperatures
Deviation of the annual mean temperatures in Germany from the long-term mean since 1881. (Image: DWD)

Only 2018 was warmer

Now the German Weather Service (DWDF) has evaluated the current measurement data for 2020 – with a less than satisfactory result. Because last year it was again significantly warmer than the long-term average. With an annual mean temperature of 10.4 degrees, the values ​​were 2.2 degrees above the internationally valid reference period 1961 to 1990. This makes 2020 the second warmest year since nationwide weather records began in 1881. Only 2018 was 0.1 degrees warmer, as the DWD reports. The annual average was highest in Saarland at 11.4 degrees, while Bavaria was the coolest at 9.5 degrees.

“The scientific climate facts of the national weather service are alarming,” says DWD climate director Tobias Fuchs. “Climate protection is the order of the day. We have to act now. ”According to the evaluations, nine of the ten warmest years since weather records began to be in the 21st century. The last decade from 2011 is also the warmest ever recorded in Germany – it now includes four of the warmest years: 2020, 2018, 2019 and 2014. Overall, all months except May in 2020 were too warm. January, February, April and August showed the highest positive temperature anomalies with a deviation of more than three degrees, according to the DWD. It was particularly warm in midsummer: Between August 5th and 22nd, a partly very hot and humid weather established itself over Germany. The maximum values ​​climbed to over 35 degrees.

Too little rain and too much sun

But the unpleasant trend will also continue in terms of precipitation in 2020: with around 710 liters of rain per square meter, the year’s precipitation only reached 90 percent of its target value. So nine of the last ten years were too dry, only 2017 was wetter than normal. It remained the driest in many parts of north-east Germany with less than 500 liters per square meter. When it rained in 2020, it often happened in the form of heavy rainfall: On August 3, Aschau-Innerkoy, southeast of Rosenheim, reported the highest daily total with 154.4 liters per square meter. The highest annual amounts went down with up to 2000 liters per square meter in the Black Forest and on the Alps. Snowfalls, on the other hand, were rather rare and mostly only occurred at higher altitudes.

The number of hours of sunshine in 2020 was also above the long-term average: At around 1901 hours, the sunshine exceeded its target of 1544 hours by a good 20 percent, as the DWD reports. This means that 2020 is fourth in the list of the sunniest years since measurements began. Especially in spring and early summer there were clear skies and sun for weeks, which also brought record values ​​for solar energy. It was particularly sunny in southern Germany, where the sun shone for more than 2000 hours in many places. In contrast, there was comparatively little sunshine in the north German lowlands and in the central low mountain ranges.

Source: German Weather Service

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