Germany's 2025 Climate Report Reveals Record Heat and Fewer Freezing Days

2025: A Hot Year, But Not a Record-Breaker

After the extreme year of 2024, when average temperatures reached 10.9°C, 2025 brought a slight reprieve, with the mercury settling at exactly 10°C. Yet, as Tobias Fuchs of Germany's National Meteorological Service (DWD) emphasized at the presentation of the agency's annual climate report on Wednesday, "climate change remains the defining reality of our time."

The shifting climate becomes starkly apparent when examining extreme weather days: in 2025, weather stations recorded an average of eleven days with temperatures exceeding 35°C—150% more than the average between 1961 and 1990. Conversely, the number of days where temperatures never climbed above freezing dropped by 65%, down to just nine.

For the first time, the DWD has also projected the potential consequences of global heating for Germany. Its initial scenario assumes global warming of 2.8 to 4.6°C by the end of the century—higher than the current expected range of 2.1 to 3.3°C. Additional scenarios are set to follow.

According to the first simulation, temperatures across Germany will rise significantly by 2100, with annual averages between 2 and 6°C higher than the 1961–1990 baseline. "Particularly in the south and east, we expect a sharp increase in heatwaves and tropical nights," Fuchs warned. These conditions pose a serious health risk, especially for older adults. "This means cities and towns will need more heat action plans, as well as expanded green spaces and water features to mitigate the effects."

Drought Emerges as a Key Challenge

Precipitation trends under the DWD's more pessimistic scenario remain less certain. In winter and spring, for example, Saxony may see slightly drier conditions, while Lower Saxony could experience more rainfall. The summer and autumn outlook is even more varied: western regions may face increased drought, while Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania could see the highest rise in precipitation.

"Both drier and wetter conditions present major challenges—such as in irrigation planning," Fuchs noted. Over the coming months, the DWD plans to refine its models further, analyzing differences between upland regions and surrounding lowlands. Beyond temperature and rainfall, the agency will also forecast the number of hot days, the intensity of heavy rain, and the duration of dry spells.

Yet even now, "increasing drought is already emerging as a central problem," said DWD meteorologist Andreas Becker. Sectors dependent on reliable water supplies—from agriculture to industry—are coming "under both economic and ecological pressure."

Spring 2025 was one of the driest on record. "Fortunately, an exceptionally wet July ended the extreme drought in time, preventing significant agricultural losses," Becker reported.

Meteorologist: "No Reversal in Trend"

The DWD described 2025's heatwaves as "short but intense." According to the Robert Koch Institute, between 2,100 and 3,700 people—mostly elderly—died from heat-related causes over the summer, slightly fewer than in previous years. "What stood out was the widespread, high-intensity nature of the heat," Becker explained. Of Germany's 453 weather stations, 435 recorded temperatures above 30°C in summer 2025, while 285 saw readings exceed 35°C.

While the annual average of 10°C was slightly below recent trends, "this does nothing to change the fact that Germany has already warmed by 2.5°C," Becker stressed. Every single month in 2025 was warmer than the 1961–1990 average. Globally, 2025 ranked as the third-hottest year on record.

"Individual years without new records do not signal a turning point," Becker cautioned. Long-term warming continues, as do rising climate risks—drought, heat, and water scarcity. "Climate protection and adaptation remain critical priorities."

For the coming months, the DWD forecasts a warmer-than-average summer, with a 71% probability of more than 8.5 days above 30°C and an 81% chance of higher temperatures than the past 30-year average. Rainfall predictions, however, remain uncertain.