Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

WEATHER

Temperatures rise, rain to keep falling

Summer may finally on its way, but those venturing outside should still keep an eye out for stubborn rainclouds, the German Weather Service (DWD) warned on Thursday.

Published: 10 May 2012 15:30 CEST
Temperatures rise, rain to keep falling
Photo: DPA

Temperatures could reach a tropical 30 degrees Celsius in the southwest on Thursday, with highs of above 20 widespread elsewhere. While the south and east should stay fair and dry, the north and west are forecast to be cloudy and if very unlucky, may see thunder and hail in the afternoon.

This bad spell could continue into Thursday night, but temperatures nationwide should range from 10 to 17 degrees.

Friday is set to be a day of contrasts for the Bundesrepublik. The northwest will face a chilly end to the week, with temperatures plunging back down between 13 and 17 degrees. The rest of the country could see temperatures as high as 31 degrees, though.

Nowhere escapes the threat of unsettled skies though on Friday. Sustained gusty showers will pummel the north and while the south and east may escape the worst of the weather in the morning, residents should brace themselves for heavy downpours and even hail later on.

Friday night will be rainy in the south east and in mountain areas, according to the DWD, but otherwise clear. Temperatures are expected to range from 4 degrees in the north to 10 in the south.

In general terms, the DWD envisages a cooler but more settled weekend. Saturday should start with a sudden temperature drop, with it looking unlikely that temperatures will top 15 degrees.

But, showers will be isolated with strong winds confined to coastal and mountain areas. A cool and clear night is forecast, with temperatures dropping to 2 degrees Celsius and a chance of frost and rain in the Alps.

Sunday should welcome the arrival of a high-pressure area in the northwest, hopefully guaranteeing a pleasant day for most. A day out for Mothers Day could certainly be on the cards, but the DWD suggests taking a coat just in case.

The end of the week also signals the start of the Eisheiligen, the succession of saints’ days from 11 to 15 May that supposedly bring colder weather but herald the imminent approach of summer. DWD has them at least partly living up to their name, with frost a strong possibility on Saturday and Sunday nights.

The Local/jpg

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

BERLIN

Anmeldung: Berlin to re-launch online housing registration in October

Finding an appointment at the Bürgeramt to register an address has long been an unwanted chore for new arrivals in Berlin - but from October, this gruelling ritual will be a thing of the past.

Published: 19 September 2024 13:51 CEST
Anmeldung: Berlin to re-launch online housing registration in October

Every foreigner who’s lived in the German capital has experienced the stress of trying to find an appointment at the Bürgeramt, or citizens’ office. 

In order to register an address – a process known as the Anmeldung in German – residents generally have to scour a list of available appointments, sometimes waiting weeks for a spot or travelling to a far-flung part of the city to complete the process. 

From mid-October, however, the city has announced that people will be able to register and deregister their place of residence online. The Local has contacted officials to ask for the specific date in October that this is happening and will update this story when we receive the information. 

According to the Senate, the move will free up around 500,000 appointments that would ordinarily have been taken by the hundreds of thousands who move into and around the city each year.

Berlin had briefly offered online registrations during the Covid-19 pandemic, but removed the service once social restrictions were lifted. 

How will the new system work?

The online registration system is apparently based on Hamburg’s system, which was developed under the so-called ‘one-for-all’ (EfA) principle. This means that other states around Germany can adopt the same software as part of their digitalisation efforts.

People who want to register address will need to fill in an online form, provide proof of their new residence and also identify themselves using their electronic ID, which will either be an electronic residence permit or a German or EU ID card. 

READ ALSO: What is Germany’s electronic ID card and how do you use it?

After the process has been completed, a sticker for the ID card will be sent out via post.

Aufenthaltstitel

A German residence permit or ‘Aufenthaltstitel’ with an electronic ID function. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Daniel Karmann

This can then be used to update the information on a residents’ eID card and access the registration confirmation digitally.

Those who don’t have access to a validated electronic ID will need to either activate their eID function at the immigration office or Bürgeramt or register their address in person.  

In 2024, the service will only be available for single residents, but online registration for families is also in the pipeline.

Is Berlin making progress with digitalisation?

It certainly seems like it. This latest move is part of a larger push to complete digitalise Berlin’s creaking services and move to a faster, more efficient online system.

At the start of the year, the capital centralised its naturalisation office in the Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA) and moved all citizenship applications online. 

Since then, citizenship applications have been completed around ten times faster than previously – though tens of thousands of applicants are still waiting for a response on their paper applications.

More recently, the LEA also announced that it had moved to a new appointment-booking system designed to end the predatory practice of appointment touting, or selling appointments for a fee.

Under the new system, many residents permits – including EU Blue Cards – can be directly applied for online, with in-person appointments reserved for collecting the new (or renewed) permit.

READ ALSO: What to know about the new appointments system at Berlin immigration office

Meanwhile, those who can’t apply online yet can access appointments by filling in the contact form, with the LEA hoping that this will deter people from booking appointments with the intention to sell them on. 

In another move to speed up bureaucracy, Berlin also opened a new Bürgeramt in the district of Spandau this September, with the governing CDU announcing on X that more new offices would follow in the near future. 

SHOW COMMENTS