Heat warning issued for western Germany

The German Weather Service (DWD) has issued a heat warning for much of western Germany. Residents should take precautions to protect themselves from the heat on June 13 and 14.

DWD issues heat warning for Friday and Saturday

High temperatures forecast for western Germany over the next two days have prompted the DWD to issue a heat warning (Hitzewarnung). The organisation issues heat warnings for days when temperatures are high enough that they pose a health risk.

The heat warning for June 13 applies to the regions around Freiburg, Stuttgart, Saarbrücken, Frankfurt, Cologne and Dortmund. Temperatures will exceed 30 degrees celsius in cities and regions to which the heat warning applies, as well as in nearby areas.

Highs of 33 degrees are forecast for Cologne, 32 degrees for Frankfurt, Saarbrücken, and Stuttgart, 31 degrees in Konstanz and 30 degrees in Nuremberg.

Heatwave will spread on Saturday, June 14

The heat warning will apply to a greater area on Saturday, but will still be limited to western Germany. On Saturday, it will include much of the German regions which border the Netherlands, alongside Osnabrück, Münster and Bielefeld. 

The DWD has forecast temperatures to reach 35 degrees in Frankfurt, 34 degrees in Cologne and Stuttgart, and 33 degrees in Nuremberg. 

While there is no heat warning for northern and eastern Germany, it will still be extremely hot; 32 degrees is forecast for Bremen and Hanover, 31 degrees for Leipzig, 30 degrees for Hamburg and 29 degrees for Berlin.

How can I protect myself in a heatwave?

In its heat warning, the DWD emphasises that “heat exhaustion is a danger to human health, which should be taken seriously”.

To keep cool in heatwaves, the German government recommends drinking between two and three litres of water throughout the day, rescheduling intensive activities for cooler times of day and wearing a head covering and high-factor sun cream to protect your skin while outside.

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. 

According to the DWD, there were 12,5 Hitzetage in Germany in 2024. Climate scientists expect the regularity of heat days to increase over the coming years, unless effective efforts are made to drastically reduce CO2 emissions globally.