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WEATHER

Germany records hottest temperature of year as country braces for more heat

At 38.6C, the highest temperature in Germany so far this year was measured on Sunday in the western city of Trier, according to the German Weather Service (DWD).

Published: 10 August 2020 10:54 CEST
Updated: 10 August 2020 13:29 CEST
Germany records hottest temperature of year as country braces for more heat
Beachgoers in Timmendorfer Strand (Beach) in Schleswig-Holstein on Sunday. Photo: DPA

High temperatures were also logged at weather stations in Kahl am Main in Bavaria, and at Frankfurt Airport, with the Mercury reaching 37.5C at both locations.

The previous highest temperature of the year 38.5C – measured on July 31st in Rheinfelden in southern Baden. 

In the summer of 2019, Germany's hottest day ever was recorded, with the Mercury reaching 42.6C in Lingen, Lower Saxony.

Warm temperatures to come

Germany saw an especially warm weekend, in which temperatures around the country ranged from 32 to 38C, while pools and lakes around the country filled to maximum capacity.

READ ALSO: Heatwave in Germany: Temperatures up to 38C expected at the weekend

Now the heat wave is slated to stretch into the coming week. 

Monday will become increasingly muggy with temperatures up to 37C, especially in the southwest. Areas by the sea will stay slightly cooler, or around 28C.

Some thunderstorms with heavy rain, possibly hail and squalls of up to 85 kilometers per hour are expected.

A man jumping into a pool in Bad Köstritz, Thuringia. Photo: DPA

In Berlin, the Mercury is expected to reach up to 32C, in both Frankfurt and Cologne 34C, and in Munich 31C.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, temperatures will again stretch between 30 and 37C, according to meteorologists, but it will remain mostly dry.

On Wednesday it will be mostly sunny and dry, especially in the northern part of the country. The mercury is slated to reach 28C in coastal areas, and stay between 30 and 36C, especially in southwest Germany.

DWD tweeted an image of parts of the country (with a red sign) that will be affected by stormy weather on Monday.

Heat plan?

To better prepare Germany for more heat waves and the public health consequences they carry, Green Party leader Robert Habeck on Monday called for a “heat plan”.

Habeck told the DPA that a uniform, graduated heat warning system was needed throughout Germany.

“There should be a nationwide hotline, with special attention given to risk groups,” he said. “Cool rooms” with air conditioning should also be set up in health care facilities, said Habeck. 

“The current summer heat does not come as a surprise,” Habeck said. “Such heat waves will be the new norm.”

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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. 

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