For the tourist region of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, summer was perfect. But there are also areas where the drought is causing significant problems.
Offenbach/Schwerin (dpa/mv) – The vacationers on the Baltic Sea were very happy, but the farmers less so: The summer of 2022 was also one of the warmest and sunniest in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania since records began. Rain, however, fell only sparsely.
As can be seen from the preliminary calculations published on Tuesday by the German Weather Service (DWD) in Offenbach, the average temperature in the north-east is 18.5 degrees Celsius, a good 2 degrees above the value of the internationally valid reference period from 1961 to 1990. The sun shone in the coastal country over the 800 hours in the summer months and thus shone uncovered in the sky for 124 hours longer than the long-term average. The DWD has been recording the hours of sunshine since 1951, temperatures and precipitation have been continuously recorded since 1881.
Despite the record values, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania got through the summer comparatively moderately, with an average temperature of 19.2 degrees nationwide, which was almost 3 degrees warmer than the average for the years 1961 to 1990.
According to the weather service, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania was the “second coolest region” in a comparison of the federal states. Only in Schleswig-Holstein was the summer average lower at 17.5 degrees. The neighboring country also bears the red lantern for the number of hours of sunshine with an impressive 740 hours. 900 and 910 hours of sunshine were registered for Baden-Württemberg and Saarland. The southwest is at the top. The nationwide average of more than 800 hours of sunshine was determined for the first time. 2022 was the sunniest summer since 1951, when the hours of sunshine were recorded.
This summer also brought Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania a new heat record. According to the DWD, it was set up in Boizenburg on the Elbe on July 20 with a temperature of 39.4 degrees Celsius. Even on the Baltic Sea beach, more than 38 degrees were registered that day.
With an average of 135 liters per square meter, the amount of precipitation not only remained below the long-term mean for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania of 187 liters. The value was also below the national average for this summer. According to the weather service, 145 liters per square meter means the sixth driest summer in Germany. The amount of precipitation was almost 40 percent below the mean of the reference period 1961 to 1990.
“In times of climate change, we should have experienced what will soon be a typical summer,” said meteorologist Uwe Kirsche. The farmers in particular felt the negative consequences. However, the farmers in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania recorded an above-average grain harvest compared to other countries. In the case of corn, beets and potatoes, however, there is also a risk of losses in the north-east due to a lack of water.
