Could the heat in western Germany reach a new record this Tuesday? But how exactly are extreme temperatures measured?
Berlin – Is a temperature scratching the heat record? This question is not so easy to answer – certainly not with the help of a simple thermometer.
To enable worldwide comparisons, international standards apply to temperature measurement, for example for location, conditions or instruments. According to the German Weather Service (DWD), the sensors in the free-standing measuring stations must be two meters high. A housing with fins protects the sensors from the blazing sun, but air can circulate. The ground under the measuring stand should be covered with grass and not with concrete. A minimum distance to trees or buildings must be maintained. If a measuring station does not meet these conditions, temperatures can be inaccurate or incorrect.
In December 2020, for example, the DWD canceled the heat record for Germany. The previous highest value of 42.6 degrees was measured on July 25, 2019 in Lingen im Emsland. However, the station’s measuring field repeatedly showed temperatures that were not representative of the region. The DWD determined that over the years “significantly grown vegetation in the immediate eastern vicinity” had repeatedly impeded the exchange of air when the wind was blowing from this direction – and the record was gone.
Since then, according to the meteorologists, it has been 41.2 degrees, which were measured on the same day in Duisburg-Baerl and Tönisvorst near Krefeld. dpa
