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Climate in Germany
Germany is a large country situated in central Europe. It has a coastline both on the North Sea and the Atlantic. On the whole it possesses a flat relief with the exception of the Alps and central and southern Germany, which are hilly. North Germany is low-lying and flat area which belongs to the North European Plain. Southern and central Germany is mountainous and rise southwards to the Alps next to the border with Austria. Germany has a varying climate with frequent weather changes from day to day.
The character of weather conditions in summer and in winter may be different on any given year because of the oceanic or continental influences that dominate. Summer temperatures are similar in all country both south and north because the decreasing latitude compensates the increasing altitude. Temperatures in winter are low, and the number of snowy and frosty days increases both eastwards and southwards, partly due to cold winds from Russia. In cold winters rivers and canals sometimes freeze and for long periods the country is covered with snow. Winter is slightly drier than summer in most of Germany and in the western parts autumn is the wettest time. The country may be divided into seven areas in terms of climate: the Baltic coast, the North German Plain, the central and southern hills, north-eastern coastline, the North Rhineland, the upper Rhine and the Bavarian Alps.
The Baltic Coast
The region covers the eastern and northern part of the coast. It has quite severe winter with much ice in the sea. Summers are settled and enjoy a lot of sunshine. Rain is not very frequent, but often accompanied by thunderstorms.
The North German Plain
The region is the part of the North European Plain, spreading to the west. It is a low lying and gently undulating area. There are no great differences in climate and in weather, only winters can be colder and summers are somewhat warmer and more settled. Canals and some of the navigable rivers sometimes freeze during the severe winter weather. This weather is a result of the persistent eastern winds from Russia. These cold spells are rare and short. In the coastal regions to the north summer weather is more stable. Summer season is usually very wet season, while rain is usually accompanied by short thunderstorms. Summer sunshine is moderately high.
The Central and Southern Hills
The large region includes centre and southern part of Germany stretching to the foothills of the Bavarian Alps. The weather and climate conditions do not differ very much in this vast region. Temperatures vary because of the altitude thus the mountainous parts of Bavaria and Harz feature the longest periods of snow and the coolest winters. In winter frosts are heavy in some valleys and dales in spite of the low altitude. Summer weather is predominantly warm with a hefty amount of sunshine along with heavy summer rainfall. Summers vary from year to year in character: warmer and drier summer weather in one year, in other years wet and cloudy.