The German Meteorological Service has published its assessment of the 2025/2026 winter, revealing a country divided by weather. While Berlin and the northern states grappled with the heaviest snowfall in 14 years, central and southern regions experienced exceptionally mild and dry conditions. Despite local heavy snowfall, on a national scale, the winter was classified as too dry and warmer than the long-term average, ending with spring-like temperatures.

Snow Records in the North

Berlin and Hamburg recorded the heaviest snowfall since 2012 and experienced severe winter onslaughts.

Overall Precipitation Deficit

On a national scale, the winter was too dry, despite local weather extremes in the northern states.

Mild End to the Season

The end of February brought spring-like temperatures and high levels of sunshine to most regions of Germany.

This winter in Germany will go down in history as a period of extremely diverse atmospheric phenomena. According to data published by the German Meteorological Service (DWD), this season was characterized by an unusual distribution of precipitation and temperatures. The capital city drew the most attention, where record snowfall was recorded. In Berlin and Brandenburg, the winter was the snowiest since 2012, with some sources indicating the highest values in 14 years. Simultaneously, Brandenburg turned out to be statistically the coldest region in the entire national ranking. Germany has been observing a trend of shortening cold periods for years, which climatologists link to progressing climate change in Central Europe.While the north of the country, including Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, struggled with white powder and resulting infrastructure problems, such as a plague of potholes, the rest of the country experienced completely different weather. In North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, and Saxony, the winter was exceptionally mild and sunny. Meteorological services point out a paradox: despite local snowstorms, the overall precipitation balance for all of Germany is negative. The winter turned out to be too dry, raising concerns among farmers and foresters in the context of the upcoming growing season. Particularly in Thuringia and Saxony, a moisture deficit was recorded alongside high levels of sunshine. The final days of February brought a sudden warming, giving the end of the season an almost spring-like character. In states such as Saarland or Rhineland-Palatinate, winter said goodbye with sunshine and temperatures significantly deviating from the norm for this month. Meteorologists emphasize that although extreme snow events in the north may seem like a return to winters of old, the global trends of rising temperatures are relentless and clearly visible in this year's statistics. The weather diversity between the states was so great this year that it is difficult to speak of one type of winter for the entire territory of Germany.