The last day of February 2026 brings Europe a record-breaking mild spell, heralding the arrival of meteorological spring. While thermometers in Germany and Italy show up to 23 degrees Celsius, mountainous regions are grappling with rapid thaws. Simultaneously, serious flood warnings remain in effect in France, and Alpine resorts are ending the ski season due to a lack of snow cover.
Thaws in the Harz Mountains
A rapid temperature rise led to the complete melting of snow and the closure of ski infrastructure.
Flood Alerts in France
An orange-level warning was maintained in three departments due to dangerous river surges.
Record Warmth in Italy
A powerful high-pressure system brought spring temperatures, definitively ending the winter season in the region.
Anomalously Dry Winter in Austria
The season summary indicates an extremely low level of precipitation and a lack of typical frosts for this period.
The turn of February and March 2026 is being recorded in meteorological annals as a period of exceptionally high temperatures in a belt from the Apennine Peninsula to Central Europe. In Germany, particularly in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, values reaching 19 degrees Celsius were recorded, and locally even 23 degrees. Such drastic warming caused immediate effects in the lower mountain ranges. In the Harz massif, the rapid temperature rise led to the complete melting of the snow cover, forcing operators to close all ski lifts and slopes. This situation is symptomatic of the ending winter, which in Austria and southern Germany has been assessed as one of the warmest and driest in measurement history. While the north of the continent enjoys sunshine, Western Europe is struggling with dangerous hydrological phenomena. In France, meteorological services maintained an orange-level alert in three departments due to the risk of flooding. Swollen rivers after intense rainfall threaten local infrastructure. Meanwhile, in Italy, a powerful anticyclone has dominated weather conditions, bringing almost summer-like weather. Forecasters from the Apennine Peninsula announced the symbolic end of winter, pointing to the persistence of warm air masses that, despite sporadic rainfall, are not giving way to cold from the north. Climate warming in Europe is progressing faster than the global average, manifested by a shortening of the snow cover duration in mid-latitudes by nearly two weeks per decade since the 1970s.Despite the dominance of sunshine, meteorologists warn against excessive optimism and recommend wearing layered clothing, especially in Germany and Austria, where evening fogs and morning frosts still remind us of the calendar winter. In Bavaria, significant drops in visibility and cooling towards the end of the week were recorded, contrasting with the 20-degree heat in Berlin and Brandenburg. These changes are being closely monitored by agencies such as the German DWD, which point to the progressing instability of atmospheric fronts in the Alps region and their foothills. „L'inverno in Italia è finito, lasciando spazio al dominio del sole e del caldo primaverile.” (Winter in Italy is over, making way for the dominance of sun and spring warmth.) — Meteo.it