Overview
- Temperatures reach widespread double digits this week, with 10–16 °C common and local peaks around 17–18 °C in the Upper Rhine and southwest, while fog holds some valleys cooler.
- the DWD reports unsettled conditions with regional hazards, including 30–40 liters of rain per square meter and gusts near 60 km/h in Alpine and adjacent highland areas, alongside snowmelt risk.
- A strengthened polar vortex and active Atlantic low‑pressure systems are channeling very mild maritime air into Central Europe, limiting southward pushes of cold air.
- Model guidance favors the west–southwest pattern through mid‑December; a slight late‑week cooling is expected to keep values above seasonal norms, and broad white‑Christmas scenarios remain unlikely though not excluded.
- Forecasters note the warmth is far above typical December levels but still below the 24.0 °C December record from 1989, with the month on track for notably warm anomalies.