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Summer heat expected over weekend as mercury set to rise to 25C

The German Weather Service (DWD) has predicted that much of the country will be basking in warm summer temperatures on Sunday - a week after thick snowfall.

Published: 6 April 2018 10:08 CEST

Summer heat expected over weekend as mercury set to rise to 25C

Sun in Dresden on Tuesday, April 3rd. Photo: DPA

Temperatures in Germany have been yo-yo-ing between winter chill and summer heat in recent days. But the DWD says that summer will take the upper hand over the weekend.

A high pressure has spread over the country, the DWD states, bringing with it beautiful blue skies and warm air, with the mercury rising ever further into the 20s over the coming days.

On Friday, the south and west of the country will enjoy the best weather, with highs of between 15C and 19C.

The rest of the country will be considerably cooler, with temperatures remaining somewhere between 10C and 14C.

Clear skies will make for a cold night on Friday though, with the thermometer dropping all the way down to freezing point in the east.

At the start of the weekend the skies will be clear across the whole country, except for the occasional high cloud in the west and northwest. Germans will also have a chance to put some colour in their skin with highs of 23C inland, while on the coast a cool wind will temper the heat down to 18C.

On Sunday, thick clouds will begin to cover the west of the country, but the air will keep getting warmer. Much of the country will enjoy temperatures peaking at 25C.

After thick snowfall over the Easter weekend in Berlin, Hamburg and other parts of the north and east, the change in the weather is particularly dramatic.

So it’s time to pack away your woolly hats and to fire up the barbecue.

German communities brace for flooding as water levels continue to rise

As several countries in Europe face the devastating aftermath of severe flooding following torrential rain, communities in some regions of Germany are trying to manage rising water levels.

According to a forecast by the state flood centre, the water on the Elbe river has not yet reached expected peaks. In the city of Dresden, the Elbe rose above the six-metre mark on Wednesday. There, as well as in Schöna on the border with the Czech Republic, the flood peak is expected on Thursday.

There is a cautious all-clear along other rivers in the east and south of Germany. Further north, however, Brandenburg is looking anxiously at the Oder river, which is expected to bring more water in the coming days.

READ ALSO: Parts of Germany hit by flooding as torrential rain wreaks havoc across central Europe

Flood crisis teams are due to meet in Frankfurt (Oder), located at the border with Poland, and other municipalities in Brandenburg on Thursday. A level 1 flood alert was issued for sections of the river on Wednesday.

According to the State Office for the Environment, floodplains and meadows close to the banks are expected to start flooding, with the areas of the Oder village of Ratzdorf to Eisenhüttenstadt particularly affected.

The state office believes the highest alert level – level 4 – with a water level of around six metres will be reached in the next few days near Ratzdorf, where the Oder reaches Brandenburg territory.

Clean-up work underway in central and eastern Europe

In the flood-hit areas from Poland to the Czech Republic and Austria, the clean-up work has now begun, but the situation is only slowly easing.

In many places, the emergency services are still struggling with masses of water. Soldiers are also providing support in Poland and the Czech Republic. However, the authorities are not yet giving the all-clear. So far, more than 20 people have tragically lost their lives in the region due to the extreme weather.

In the Polish city of Wroclaw in the west of the country, the flood wave was not expected until Thursday night. As several tributaries that also carry a lot of water flow into the Oder between Olawa and Wroclaw, the possibility of flooding in the Lower Silesian metropolis cannot be ruled out, said an expert.

Flooding in Bresgau Poland

A drone captures the high water levels in Bresgau, Poland, on September 19th. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/PAP | Maciej Kulczynski

Flood defences in Wroclaw have been reinforced as a precautionary measure. One third of the city of 630,000 inhabitants was flooded during the Oder flood in 1997.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to visit Poland on Thursday afternoon. According to the EU Commission, the trip is being organised at the invitation of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, his Slovakian counterpart Robert Fico and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer are also expected to attend the meeting.

The talks are likely to focus on the question of funds from Brussels for reconstruction although the extent of the damage is still unclear.

With reporting from DPA

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