In the 2025/26 season German weather remained noticeably milder, drier and sunnier than the long‑term average, according to the German Weather Service’s report released in Offenbach on Friday. The coldest period stretched mainly through January, persisting longest in the north and northeast before a pronounced warming trend emerged during the last decade of February, ushering the season toward a pre‑spring finish.
Overall, the provisional average temperature was 1.8 °C, equaling a 1.6 °C rise above the 1961‑1990 reference period. This marks the fifteenth consecutive winter with a positive temperature deviation. Precipitation averaged around 135 litres per square metre-roughly 75 % of the typical amount. The north‑east coast of Germany recorded especially low rainfall, often under 100 l m⁻². Yet, in parts of North Germany this winter was the snowiest since 2010 or 2012.
Sunshine hours totaled approximately 180, roughly 18 % above the expected amount. December, the second sunniest month in the country since 1951, and a bright January significantly boosted the tally, whereas February proved comparatively overcast. The coldest temperature nationwide was measured at -21.7 °C in Oberstdorf on 6 January, while by the season’s end the outlook called for highs of around 20 °C.
