40C forecast in Germany as DWD issues heat warning

The German Weather Service (DWD) has issued a heat warning for nine federal states on Monday. Highs of 40 degrees celsius are expected this week.

DWD issues heat warning for 9 German states

As of Monday, June 30, the DWD has issued heat warnings for nine German federal states: Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Bremen.

Temperatures will reach 35 degrees in Frankfurt, 33 degrees in Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Saarbrücken and Cologne, 31 degrees in Munich and 30 degrees in Konstanz. Things will be cooler in the north, but still between 25 and 28 degrees in most parts. 

In much of the north, including Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, northern Saxony, Brandenburg, Berlin, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the weather service has issued a UV radiation warning. While limited UV exposure at cooler temperatures is beneficial, prolonged exposure in hot weather can promote skin cancer.

Across the country, anyone heading outside to brave the heat should wear extra sun protection, including sun cream and a hat, and make sure to drink plenty of water. The German government advises delaying exercise and physically demanding activities until a cooler time of day.

DWD forecast highs of 40C on Wednesday in Germany

The weather is only expected to get hotter as the week goes on. “Things will really kick in on Tuesday,” DWD meteorologist Tobias Reinartz explained, and the heat will spread to northern states. Highs of 38 degrees are forecast in Frankfurt, 37 degrees in Cologne, and 32 degrees in Berlin and Munich.

Wednesday is forecast to be the peak of the first challenging heatwave of the summer in Germany. 40 degrees is forecast for Frankfurt, 39 degrees in Cologne, and 38 degrees in Berlin, Nuremberg, Hanover, and Leipzig.

On Wednesday, even the Brocken mountain region, typically the coolest location at any time of year, will reach 30 degrees. 

In recent years, heat days (Hitzetage), days where the temperature reaches or exceeds 30 degrees, have occurred earlier in the summer and more regularly across Germany and Europe, making the consequences of climate change more recognisable in daily life.