Only 0.3 liters of rain per square meter will decide whether the summer of 2022 in Berlin will be the driest since weather records began. The Dahlem measuring station, which has been supplying uninterrupted data since 1908, serves as a reference. The previous drought record dates back to 1911, when it rained 64 liters per square meter in the meteorological summer from early June to late August. Almost 200 liters per square meter would be normal.
The missing 0.3 liters per square meter correspond to only a mini shower. If it rains at all in the next few days, it will most likely be towards the end of the week, says meteorologist Jörg Riemann from the Wettermanufaktur service. And since the showers are expected to come from the east, the probability of significant rain in Dahlem is even lower than in the eastern districts. During the thunderstorms at the end of last week, the eastern part of the capital had already suffered significantly more: while the underpasses between Köpenick and Pankow were briefly under water, hardly a drop fell west of the city centre.
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This summer’s drought is accompanied by record-breaking heat: the warmest August to date was in 2015 with an average of 21.7 degrees. According to Riemann, the current month is currently about half a degree higher. Since it will be hot during the next few days with up to 30 degrees by the weekend and very mild nights, the heat record is almost certain.
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Next week not only the meteorological summer ends, but also the heat wave: The temperatures should then be in the normal range for the season – with a maximum of 22 degrees during the day and around 13 at night. However, there is still no sign of much rain. The precipitation deficit, which has now totaled around 150 liters per square meter since the beginning of this year alone, is likely to increase even further.
