Because of climate change: Experts fear heat hell in Stuttgart

Stuttgart and climate change: climate forecasts for Germany’s major cities are tough. This is how those responsible react.

It was the worst summer in years *. Not only Baden-Württemberg and its state capital Stuttgart had to struggle with abundant rain, the supposedly warmest season also fell into the water for the rest of Germany, as reported by echo24.de *. With a view to climate change, the German Weather Service (DWD) now has a hot climate forecast for the future.

As the Stuttgarter Nachrichten writes in a current report (article behind the payment barrier), the heat record summer from 2003 showed how dangerous extreme temperatures can be for people. According to a statistical analysis by climate researchers, 8,000 people died in Germany alone.

Stuttgart threatens hellish heat: Climate change is driving up temperatures

Cities in particular were affected by the hellish heat. The problem: Due to the dense development and the few areas with plants and water, cities like Stuttgart heat up even more and find it difficult to cool down during the night. As the DWD published in a study, the state capital of Baden-Württemberg had 28 hot days in 2003. At this point the temperature rose to over 30 degrees.

And the list of such hot days continues for Stuttgart. In 2015, according to the DWD results, it was 27 days. At one point the temperature even exceeded 38.8 degrees – a record since weather statistics began. In 2018, the city then recorded 29 hot days – also a record.

The summer of 2021 will fall sharply. There have been four hot days. A fact that might not happen again in the future. If the climate forecasts of the weather experts are correct, it will be uncomfortable in Stuttgart. From 2050 there is a risk of over 30 degrees for 70 days per year. A study by the German Weather Service and the state environmental authorities from 2017 shows the coming days of heat in hell.

Stuttgart has a boiler problem: that’s how the expert explains it

The Freiburg DWD meteorologist Andreas Matzarakis spoke to the Stuttgarter Nachrichten about other heated problems and explained that “especially in cities, the number of tropical nights on which the temperature does not drop below 20 degrees is increasing”.

Stuttgart is already one of the warmest of the major cities in Germany. The special boiler location ensures the high temperatures. The DWD report from 2003 states: “The Stuttgart basin is the warmest and driest part of the Neckar basin. The low wind speed due to the location of the basin promotes the formation of local, thermally induced wind systems, which play an important role in the ventilation of the city .

Climate change and the solutions for Stuttgart

One does not want to surrender to the impending heat in Stuttgart completely helplessly. As the city writes on its website, a lot has already been initiated and “is still working on existing or new concepts and projects – such as the climate protection concept (KLIKS) or the climate change adaptation concept Stuttgart (KLIMAKS).”

Concrete measures by the city of Stuttgart:

Building on the German government’s strategy to adapt to climate change, the City of Stuttgart’s KLIMAKS concept comprises around 50 measures that have been specified for the state capital of Baden-Württemberg *. Focus: “The focus is on dealing with increasing thermal loads, but also adapting to the increasing frequency of strong wind events” . * echo24.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.

Rubriclistenbild: © picture alliance / dpa | Marijan Murat