In summer 2026, weather stations in several cities in southern Germany recorded temperatures exceeding previous highs.
The figures also showed that national averages alone cannot adequately explain the heat experienced in local areas.
The measurements from Friedrichshafen, Ravensburg, and Lindau show how heatwaves manifested differently from city to city.
3-line summary
1. Some cities in southern Germany experienced record high temperatures in summer 2026
2. Friedrichshafen’s average was 22.2 degrees
3. It is difficult to assess local heatwaves based solely on the national average
Friedrichshafen’s Summer Average Higher Than in 2003
The German Meteorological Service (DWD) confirmed that summer 2026 was the hottest on record at the observation stations in Friedrichshafen, Ravensburg, and Lindau along Lake Constance. Here, summer refers to the period from June through August.
Friedrichshafen’s average summer temperature was 22.2 degrees. This was higher than the 21.6 degrees recorded in 2003 and differed by 3.7 degrees from the 1991–2020 summer average of 18.5 degrees. On July 30, 37.2 degrees was measured, and on August 4, the temperature reached 36.6 degrees, setting new records for the city’s highest temperature.
The heat was not limited to high temperatures on a few days. There were 42 hot days—days exceeding 30 degrees—nearly twice as many as in 2003 and about four times the average summer figure. Among these, 8 days exceeded 35 degrees.
Ravensburg and Lindau Also Showed Large Gaps from the Average
Ravensburg’s average temperature in summer 2026 was 21.5 degrees. Although this was the same figure as in 2003, it was 3.4 degrees higher than the average of 18.1 degrees over the most recent 30-year period. On June 27, the temperature reached 37.9 degrees, surpassing the previous high of 37.4 degrees recorded on August 13, 2003.
Lindau also recorded an average summer temperature of 21.5 degrees, exceeding both the 20.9 degrees recorded in 2003 and the average of 18.2 degrees. The high on August 4 was 36.1 degrees, which did not reach the city’s previous high of 36.5 degrees.
Even within the same region, figures closer to perceived conditions vary depending on the measurement site. The observation station at the city-center museum in Ravensburg recorded a summer average of 22.7 degrees, 1.2 degrees higher than the DWD figure, while the high on June 27 reached 40.7 degrees. The difference in location must also be considered: the DWD observation station is in green space on the outskirts of the city, whereas this station is in the city center.
Southern Germany’s Heat Was Clear Even Without a National Record
According to reports, across Germany as a whole, summer 2026 was 0.1 degrees cooler than in 2003 and therefore was not the hottest summer on record nationally. This was explained by cooler, more humid conditions in the north, particularly because nighttime temperatures fell more substantially.
By contrast, an analysis found that summer 2026 was the warmest in the Rheingau-Taunus district of Hesse since observations began in 1881. A country’s average ranking and a particular city’s record answer different questions. What is especially noteworthy in these figures is that the average temperature and the number of days at or above 30 degrees both increased, rather than only a single high temperature being recorded. The extent to which local summers have changed becomes clearer when these two indicators are considered together.
References
Tags #GermanSummer #GermanHeatwave #Summer2026 #Friedrichshafen #Ravensburg #Lindau #LakeConstance #GermanMeteorologicalService #DWD #HotDays #TemperatureRecords #AverageSummerTemperature