Share this...



A blast of polar air swept across central Europe from Wednesday through Thursday, sending temperatures tumbling to record low levels for mid August in parts of Germany.

Photo: wetter.net (for illustration only)

Yesterday many locations saw new all-time mid August records set for the lowest “high” recorded, with many places failing to reach 15°C. Meteorologists called the cold for this time of year “unusual”.

Frost at the peak of summer!

German meteorologist Domink Jung wrote here yesterday that a number of German stations recorded surface frost, “and that in the middle of peak summer” and that “it was colder than Christmas day 2015”.

What follows are some early morning recordings measured at 2 meters above ground surface:

Bad Berleburg: 0°C

Carlsfeld: +1°C

Nürnberg: +2°C

Early morning readings a some locations at 5 cm above the ground surface:

Carlsfeld: -1°C

Braunlange: 0°C

Neuhaus am Rennweg: 0°C

Feuchtwangen: +1°C

Mid August has never seen such cold

Also Swiss meteorologist Jörg Kachelmann at his site writes of “new records: At these locations in mid August it has never been as cold as it is today!”

He adds:

The current air mass, where it could not be colder for this time of year, not only brought temperatures like those seen on Christmas day 2015 or

record low temperatures – but also today at a number of locations in northwest Germany the previously standing record lowest highs were broken. That means: The highest temperature for a mid August (what meteorologists call the second decade of the month from 11 to 20 August – a ‘decade’ meaning a 10-day period) had never been as low as they are today – since recording began.”

Frozen Hamburg!

For example, yesterday Hamburg saw a high of only 14°C, which was the lowest high since temperature recording began in 1891!

German national daily Die Welt here reports on “record cold for August” accompanied by “frost in central Germany“.

Not only this August has seen unusual cold, but so did last month – as we reported earlier here.

Opposite of what climate models projected!

This summer’s cold, wet weather flies in the face of climate model projections, which in 2003 predicted Central Europeans in the future would have to expect hot, drought-ridden summers. But since 2003, 12 of 14 summers have been normal wet or wetter than normal. See more here.