Of course we have to talk about the weather. To a certain extent, that goes without saying. After all, in a state like Schleswig-Holstein, very little can be planned without at least taking the weather conditions into account. A walk on the beach is fine, under all circumstances really, but if you might be caught unawares by a passing hailstorm with gusty winds along the way, there are alternatives that would be preferable.
Sometimes the weather here can be very "changeable", as the meteorologists describe it all too friendly. The sun is shining promisingly in the morning, pretty cotton clouds are drifting across the pale blue sky, the best weather for a trip, but you've hardly packed your backpack and set out for a hike in the Hüttener mountains or on the Kiel Canal when you suddenly find yourself standing in the disgusting continuous drizzle, that never seems to end and almost imperceptibly gradually soaks you from head to toe. Something like that can really spoil the most beautiful day trip.
Of course, there are ways and means to come to terms with this situation. Above all, you can try to work on your own expectations in order to prevent frustration, disappointments or depression. It is - so much can be said - even in midsummer in Schleswig-Holstein simply not realistic to assume permanent beach weather, when experience shows that it is mostly "changeable" here.
Of course, this does not exclude nice bathing hours, possibly also bathing days, by no means at all. There have been magical summers in the past that left nothing to be desired in terms of beach-wear. Blue skies, a refreshing breeze, lukewarm water, a tolerable number of jellyfish, plus the finest sunshine. Has already happened. Will happen again in the future. If the trend continues, according to which each year is on average drier and warmer than the previous one, it is definitely a good idea to have your bathing suit ready.
However, no guarantee can be given. It is better not to expect too much and instead to be pleasantly surprised. That's how most people in this region feel, and they do pretty well with it. Everything is ultimately a question of attitude. It seems quite likely that the well-known, annoying saying "There is no such thing as bad weather, only wrong clothing" has its origins in Schleswig-Holstein.
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Source: WELT/Thomas Vedder
In the end, the trick is not to let the unpredictable weather spoil your mood. Should it ever be bad, it will eventually get better again, experience has shown that sooner rather than later. A certain pragmatism is definitely helpful.
Anyone who knows the sketch by Loriot, in which a man tries to have a conversation with his two neighbors at a table, knows what I mean. When Mr. Blühmel threw out the sentence: "It's a bit chilly for this time of year," one of the women, Ms. Krakowski, replies by name: "We had three nice days in May." That's even though Loriot didn't come from Schleswig-Holstein , a very North German exchange of words. When the second lady, Ms. Schuster, adds: "You also have to think about agriculture," the picture is complete. This is exactly what North German weather pragmatism par excellence sounds like.
But let's get to the numbers. Is the Schleswig-Holstein weather really as poor as its reputation? To be on the safe side, should everyone keep their rain jacket to hand at all times, and can you leave the tube of sunscreen at home? If you look at the statistics, Schleswig-Holstein is not doing so badly. The climate is all in all rather average with some significant outbursts, typically maritime.
Sometimes it's hotter than usual, sometimes wetter. In terms of hours of sunshine per year or the amount of precipitation, Schleswig-Holstein does not particularly differ compared to other federal states. Everything rather mediocre. Especially in the last few years, however, there have also been hot and dry summers here, which can make you worried: records are now being broken every year. Greetings from climate change. However, the average high of 22 degrees is neither very hot, nor is the low of minus 1 degree very cold.
A general statement about the weather is difficult to make anyway, because there are very different climate zones in this not so big country. On the North Sea, with its weather influenced by the Atlantic, the conditions are completely different than in Neumünster or Pinneberg, in Kropp or on Lake Plön, on the east coast in Kiel or on Fehmarn. This third-largest Baltic Sea island in Germany confidently calls itself “sun island” in tourist jargon, and with almost 1800 hours of sunshine per year, matching the 20 beaches, that is not even an exaggeration.
The North German weather phenomena are diverse. Of course, the storms and the associated storm surges are notorious. Anyone who has experienced this once will never forget such an event. Entire regions were turned over and changed. It is not for nothing that the great flood disasters have always made it into the country's narrated history. There are always severe hurricanes, especially in autumn and winter. Xaver, Verena, Anatol, Christian - these were the names of some of the particularly severe storms of the last few decades.
I still remember hurricane Christian well in October 2013, and we watched it slowly rise over a cup of tea from the living room window, which was actually quite cosy. In the neighboring garden there was a red beech whose darkly glowing foliage only trembled a little at first, but then was simply blown away in a single second as a raging cloud of leaves. Christian was there. Later, branches and entire trees fell onto the road everywhere. My neighbor and I tried to tidy up in front of our house while it was still storming so that cars that weren't driving could get through.
Roof tiles flew all over the place. It was truly an utterly silly idea of ours to be outside. This could have ended badly. The next day we heard from a friend that a tree had crashed into her bathroom window the night before. Just imagine: while brushing your teeth, a treetop behind you thunders into the mirror image.
At least as remarkable as the storms are the clouds in this country. Flat expanse, above sky with lots of clouds. From this, a mathematical formula can be derived, especially in the flat Geest and on the coasts, which describes the effect of the landscape quite well: 1 / 4 land 3 / 4 sky = Schleswig-Holstein. The dramatic cloud mountains, which are not at all sluggish, but rather powerful in the sky, are ultimately no less fascinating than a view of the ever-moving sea.
The sky and the clouds should therefore never be missing from the pictures of North German painters. Emil Nolde, for example, found bright colors and structures that almost brought them to life in the formations that were only gray for some people and that swept across his North Friesland. Thirty shades of grey, some black and blue here and there, fiery red where the sun sets.
Of course, one shouldn't forget the fog that covers the meadows and fields like a blanket in the morning. In terms of climate and topography, Schleswig-Holstein actually resembles Central England, which could explain why many people from this region (the anglers) once ended up on the island together with the Saxons. They quickly felt at home there, even considering the weather.
The drizzle is part of the country as a matter of course, hailstorms, thunderstorms. And: the sun. Yes, there is sun here too, no question about it, for some even in a more tolerable dose than elsewhere. If the tropical or Mediterranean regions are too bright and hot for you, if you don't necessarily need 35 to 40 degrees to feel warm at all, Schleswig-Holstein should be a good choice. And the refreshing sea or a lake is always within reach anyway.
I almost forgot about the snow now, which is understandable. This part of the country does not necessarily belong to the regions that are regularly covered with pretty masses of snow. It's rather the exception that snow falls here and the lakes freeze over, and when it happens, the country looks at the event with complete incomprehension.
With just a few snowflakes, everything collapses and the icy roads make you overwhelmed; Snow chains are only known here from hearsay. The amount of clearing vehicles that are kept by the municipalities is not exactly convincing. Basically, the moment the snow begins to fall, the next day's headline is already set: "SNOW IS LEADING TO CHAOS ACROSS THE COUNTRY."
But in defense of the northernmost federal state, whose handling of wintry weather is often ridiculed by southern German experts, one has to add that here, in addition to the actual snow and ice, there are usually storms that make things more difficult. A snow cover 30 centimeters thick shouldn't pose an insurmountable problem for any country, but when a storm causes this snow to pile up in meter-high drifts on the roads and at the edges of fields, things look very different.
Schleswig-Holstein and the weather – there is no doubt that both belong together. It must be emphasized once again that this does not necessarily mean bad weather. This is ultimately a question of attitude. So if you're vacationing in the country and writing a card home, please feel free to mention the weather and how it's hopefully going: better than expected.
The text is an abridged excerpt from the recently published "Instructions for use for Schleswig-Holstein" by Jan Christophersen and Mareike Krügel, Piper Verlag, 224 pages, 16 euros.
