May 2026 proved to be a month of stark contrasts in Germany, according to preliminary analyses conducted by the German Weather Service (DWD) based on data from approximately 2,000 monitoring stations. The month initially saw the predicted chill associated with the ‘Holy Saints’ (Eisheiligen), before later in the month, high summer temperatures swept across many regions.
The average temperature for the month settled at 14.1 degrees Celsius, which is two degrees above the average recorded during the reference period of 1961 to 1990. The coldest measurement nationwide was taken on May 1st in Piding (Berchtesgadener Land) at minus 3.3 degrees Celsius. Conversely, the highest temperature is forecast for May 30th in the Upper Rhine Rift Valley, reaching approximately 34 degrees. In the Upper Rhine Rift Valley, the Rhine-Main area, and in valley locations within Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, regional indices counted between six and locally eight hot days-days reaching at least 30 degrees Celsius. The last time such an early heatwave occurred was in 1953.
Regarding precipitation, Germany registered roughly 65 liters per square meter, which was just below the required monthly target. Sunshine hours were significantly higher than average, tallied at around 254 hours in total. The most intensely sunny periods, recording values near 300 hours in some locations, occurred throughout the north, northeast, and south of the country.
