2022 was one of the warmest years: report of the weather service

SVery hot and very dry – that’s how it can be summed up German Weather Service (DWD) describes the year 2022 in its climate status report. When it was presented, the climate experts at the DWD warned of the consequences of progressive global warming. “We’re getting out of the comfort zone,” said Andreas Becker, head of climate monitoring at the DWD, on Tuesday in Berlin.

In all of Europe, 2022 was one of the warmest years since measurements began. In Germany, the average annual temperature was 10.5 degrees Celsius. 2022 was as warm as 2018, the warmest year in Germany so far. Before 2014, there had never been average annual temperatures above 10 degrees Celsius in this country. Since then they have been measured a total of five times.

2022 was also the sunniest year since 1951 – with 2024 hours. The summer season was extremely long. The first day of summer was recorded on April 12th, the last on October 31st. This means that there were almost 59 summer days in 2022. For comparison: in the period between 1961 and 1990, which is often used internationally as a reference period, there were on average half as many summer days as in Germany last year.

Hot days, defined as days with a maximum temperature greater than or equal to 30 degrees Celsius, were also common in 2022. On June 18 and 19, 2022, Germany was hit by the first heat wave. From mid-July, the second heat wave started, during which 40.1 degrees Celsius were measured – the daily maximum temperature from 2022. It was recorded on July 20 in Hamburg-Neuwiedenthal.

In the readings, Becker sees ample evidence of “actually unchecked global warming”. Forest fires, crop failures and drinking water regulations in several municipalities: the consequences are becoming increasingly noticeable in Germany. Becker also referred to figures from the Robert Koch Institute, according to which the heat waves in the summer of 2022 led to an excess mortality of 4,500 people. He concluded: “It’s worth fighting for every tenth of a degree.”