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year.png

Fig.1: Development of summer precipitation in the period 1961-2021 at the DWD station
Dresden-Klotzsche. Colors: blue (> 350 mm), green (140-350 mm), orange (< 140 mm).

year2.png

Fig.2: Monthly anomalies of precipitation totals in 2022 at the measuring point of the
Intercultural Garden Coswig (Hellmann rain gauge). Colours: brown (deficit) and dark green
(surplus). You can see the pronounced drought episode from March to July.

Autor: Wilfried Küchler

Review summer 2021

​With a mean temperature of 19.0 °C the summer was by 1.6 degrees too warm at the DWD
station Dresden-Klotzsche compared to the reference period 1961-1990 (with June and July
too hot August too cold). The cool August put a clear damper on what was in itself a very
warm summer. If, on the other hand, one refers to the immediate past and also 30-year
period 1991-2020, one obtains a less significant plus of 0.4 degrees. A comparison of the two
figures with each other brings home the significant increase in temperature as a result of
climate change over the past 30 years. The summers of 2019 and 2018 still take the top
position in the ranking.

With an excess of 39 hours, we can consider the sunshine duration in summer 2021 to be
above average compared to the reference period 1961-1990. In comparison with 1991-2020,
however, we get a minus of 39 hours. Here, analogous to the above-mentioned facts
Regarding air temperature, it can be seen that a marked increase can also be stated for the
sunshine duration in the past 30 years.

The summer of 2021 was clearly too wet with 360 mm in Dresden-Klotzsche (+ 133 mm). the
calculated value also significantly exceeds the value measured at our measuring point in the
Intercultural Garden in Coswig (+ 84 mm). It should be noted that statements on
precipitation should always be treated with caution, as they vary greatly in space and time.
Especially due to local showers and thunderstorms in the warmer season, striking deviations
can be observed again and again. Only observations over a longer period of time and
additional comparisons with neighboring stations and regions allow largely reliable
statements. Trend analyzes show that summer precipitation in Dresden-Klotzsche (Fig.1)
increased by an average of about 29 mm in the period 1961-2021.

Conclusion: The summer of 2021 in the Coswig-Radebeul region was too warm, too wet and
with respect to sunshine above average compared to the reference period 1961-1990. Anus
the pronounced drought stress of recent years, nature was able to breathe up this summer.

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