Weather station in Potsdam shows driest first half-year since measurements began over 130 years ago
In the first half of 2025, rainfall levels at the weather station in Potsdam on Telegrafenberg were likely the lowest since records began in 1893.
The station is a central reference point for climate observation. It is the only meteorological station in the world with a comprehensive measurement programme that has been running continuously for over 100 years. This allows current weather trends in temperature, precipitation and sunshine duration to be compared to longer-term climate trends.
Fred Hattermann, hydrologist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), comments:
“According to current data, the station in Potsdam, operated by the German Weather Service and in continuous operation since 1893, likely recorded a new all-time low in the first half of 2025: just 146.8 millimetres of rainfall, even less than during the same period in 1942 (158.5 millimetres), the previous record. The long-term average for this location in the first half of the year is around 300 millimetres. Although January brought heavy rainfall across Germany, this declined sharply in February and was almost non-existent in March. In the following months up to and including June, rainfall was also below average in most regions of Germany.
This is also significant because spring and early summer are the seasons when vegetation grows the most, and therefore has the greatest water requirements. While winter cereals got off to a relatively good start in the growing season thanks to well-filled soils at the end of January and the few precipitation events often came at the right time, summer crops have faced greater problems, as the seeds have germinated with difficulty due to very dry soil in some regions.”
Peter Hoffmann, meteorologist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), comments:
“Forests are particularly affected by long periods of drought. The damage caused in recent years is clearly visible in many regions of Germany and has not yet been repaired, and the renewed dry spell is exacerbating the problems. In addition, the higher temperatures have led to higher water requirements for vegetation and the landscape. This is because the average temperature in Germany is now around 2 degrees Celsius higher than it was 100 years ago.
The prolonged drought, particularly in eastern Germany, is also bad news for groundwater levels. It is true that levels recovered in most regions of Germany after the drought period from 2018 to 2022, because 2023 and 2024 were very wet years in some areas. However, in large parts of the region east of the Elbe, groundwater levels have still not reached their long-term average. They could fall sharply again due to the lack of rainfall.”
