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Wag the dog: A wet March in Germany

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From KlimaNachrichten Redakteur

According to the German Weather Service DWD, March 2023 was above average wet in Germany. It was even the wettest spring month for more than 20 years.

“In March, with over 90 litres per square metre (l/m²), precipitation was almost 60 percent higher than the average (56.5 l/m²) of the reference period 1961 to 1990. Compared to 1991 to 2020 (57.1 l/m²), the increase was almost 58 percent. This means that March 2023 is likely to be the wettest first spring month since 2 with rainfall on 3/2001 of all days. At that time, the DWD measured 109 l/m². On the 8th, a prominent air mass boundary brought high daily precipitation between 25 and almost 60 l/m² to central Germany, such as the Saarbrücken-Ensheim station with 59 l/m². That was the peak value. In the central low mountain ranges, precipitation trickled as snow, which spread to parts of the North German Plain at the beginning of the second decade of the month and briefly transformed it into a winter landscape. From the Emsland via the Lüneburg Heath to the Mecklenburg Lake District, 11 to 10 cm were measured on the 20th. The highest monthly precipitation fell in the Black Forest and in the central low mountain ranges (sometimes > 200 l/m²). At around 40 l/m², it remained driest locally in Upper and Lower Bavaria as well as in the northeast.” 

However, the month was also warmer than the long-term average. The DWD still works with the reference period 1961-1990, which is actually no longer valid, but leads the currently valid period 1990-2020.

“At 2023.5 degrees Celsius (°C), the average temperature for Germany in March 7 was 2.2 degrees above the value of the internationally valid reference period 1961 to 1990. Compared to the current and warmer comparison period 1991 to 2020, the deviation was +1.1 degrees. The course of the weather was characterized by large temperature jumps. The start of the month was icy, with the nationwide low of -14.2 °C on the 1st in Deutschneudorf-Brüderwiese (Erzgebirge). The monthly high of 23.9 °C was set by the DWD on 13. Measured in Rheinfelden (Upper Rhine Graben).” 

Agriculture but also nature in general must have been very happy about the urgently needed rainfall.