Offenbach/Essen (dpa/lnw) - The winter of 2022/2023 was again too warm in North Rhine-Westphalia and throughout Germany. At the same time, it rained an above-average amount in the federal state, so that NRW was the wettest region in Germany in winter. This was announced by the German weather service DWD on Monday in its winter balance sheet for the months of December to February.
According to the current figures, the NRW-wide average temperature in the winter months was four degrees, 2.3 degrees Celsius above the mean values of the international reference period 1961-1990 for the federal state. The nationwide average temperature of this winter 2022/23 of 2.9 degrees Celsius was also clearly exceeded.
"Germany experienced the twelfth winter that was too warm in a row. Climate change is not letting up," said the press spokesman for the German Weather Service (DWD), Uwe Kirsche, on the nationwide situation. There were even positive record temperatures at the turn of the year. In connection with this, the pollen load from hazel and alder increased sharply early on.
The unusually heavy rainfall in North Rhine-Westphalia was striking. Across the state, an average of 242 liters per square meter fell in the three months - significantly more than the national average for this winter (170 liters/square meter) and also more than the NRW average from 1961-1990 (223 liters/square meter).
According to the DWD, it rained a lot in the Sauerland region, with peak amounts of over 500 liters per square meter in the three months. In the western Sauerland region in Wipperfürth-Gardeweg, Germany's highest daily precipitation rate of 71.9 liters per square meter was recorded on January 12.
The sun shone throughout NRW for 155 hours in winter. The federal state is thus roughly at the level of the long-term reference period for NRW (151) and the national average this winter (around 160 hours).
