Climatology
This page presents Germany's climate context for the current climatology, 1991-2020, derived from observed, historical data. Information should be used to build a strong understanding of current climate conditions in order to appreciate future climate scenarios and projected change. You can visualize data for the current climatology through spatial variation, the seasonal cycle, or as a time series. Analysis is available for both annual and seasonal data. Data presentation defaults to national-scale aggregation, however sub-national data aggregations can be accessed by clicking within a country, on a sub-national unit. Other historical climatologies can be selected from the Time Period dropdown list.
Observed, historical data is produced by the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) of University of East Anglia. Data is presented at a 0.5º x 0.5º (50km x 50km) resolution.
Germany is part of the temperate, rainy climate zone of the mid-latitudes. The annual mean temperature between Sylt (an island in northern Germany) and the Zugspitze (Germany's highest peak) from 1961 to 1990 was 8.2°C. The sun shines an average of 1,544 hours per year. Prevailing westerly winds carry moist air masses in from the Atlantic throughout the year, bringing up to 789 l/m2 of annual precipitation. The maritime influence generally keeps winters mild and ensures that summers are not too hot.