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Prospects for a White Christmas

Forecast by the Institute of Meteorology of Freie Universität Berlin

№ 389/2010 from Dec 16, 2010

For many parts of Germany there is a good chance of a white Christmas this year. Friedemann Schenk from the Berliner Wetterkarte of the Institute of Meteorology at Freie Universität Berlin said that there will almost certainly (80 to 90 percent chance) be a snow cover over the Christmas holiday weekend in Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Hamburg, Bremen, and the Berlin-Brandenburg region. There will definitely be snow in areas above 600 meters and in the entire Black Forest region. There is an up to 70 percent chance for the region between southern Lower Saxony and the Rhine as well as the Danube region and about a 50/50 chance of snow for the Saarland, from Rhineland-Palatinate to Central Hesse, the region between the Rhein and Stuttgart, as well as the region around Lake Constance.

Residents of Berlin and eastern Brandenburg can expect what will possibly be the most snow for Christmas that there has been since record-keeping began in 1908, according to Schenk. Up to now the record for Berlin-Dahlem was 17 centimeters in 1981. If the temperatures remain below freezing and it continues to snow, this will be surpassed.

For the coming days the meteorologists are expecting more snow throughout Germany. By Friday morning there will be 5 to 20 centimeters of fresh snow. At the beginning of next week, southern Germany will come under the influence of milder air from France, which will also influence the chances of a white Christmas in that part of Germany, added Schenk.

Further Information and Interviews:

Manager of the Berliner Wetterkarte, Institute of Meteorology, Freie Universität Berlin
Tel.: +49 (0)30 / 838-71212 (7 days a week; Please note that calls are possible only during the times 9 a.m. – 12 noon and 2–4 p.m.)
Email: wetter@met.fu-berlin.de

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