Autumn heat in Germany: temperatures up to 31 degrees expected

Summery weather in autumn: It gets really warm again in Germany at the weekend. According to forecasts from the German Weather Service (DWD), temperatures of up to 26 degrees are expected on Saturday, and sometimes even up to 31 degrees on Sunday. Outdoor pools or lakes are likely to get crowded again. It's getting hot again elsewhere in Europe too.

In Germany it will initially remain fresh in the morning, as DWD meteorologist Sonja Hansen said. As the day progresses, the temperatures are expected to rise to summer values: 22 to 26 degrees are expected, and in the Upper Rhine area, according to Hansen, the 30 degree mark will even be cracked. In the north it remains mixed and temperatures only rise to 17 to 21 degrees.

The 30 degree mark is likely to be broken

On Sunday, the influence of Hoch “Arno” will expand throughout Germany. The temperatures rise to 22 to 27 degrees, although it remains a little cooler in the north, as usual. In the southwest, however, the values ​​could even climb to 28 to 31 degrees.

It doesn't happen every year that it's still so warm at the end of September, said meteorologist Hansen. But such temperatures are “not a record”. According to the DWD, in some years it has been over 35 degrees at this time of year.

Higher temperatures are common in Spain in autumn

What makes headlines in Germany is almost normal in Spain at this time of year. It stays very warm almost everywhere in the popular holiday destination, even on weekends. As in previous weeks, highs of between 25 and well over 30 degrees are expected on Saturday and Sunday. In Madrid, for example, according to the weather service Aemet, temperatures can reach up to 33 degrees, and in Andalusia the mercury column even reached the 40 degree mark on Saturday. Meanwhile, 31 degrees have been announced for Mallorca.

It will be a little cooler next week, especially inland. In the popular holiday regions in the south and east as well as on the Balearic Islands, however, it remains warm in late summer.

Stormy in Greece

Not about summer: Autumn is currently arriving in Greece, it will be stormy in many places at the weekend, there will also be a lot of thunderstorms in large parts of the country and temperatures will drop below 20 degrees in some places.

According to meteorologists, there will be strong winds on popular holiday islands such as the Cyclades islands of Mykonos, Santorini and Paros; Heavy rain is forecast for the Peloponnese peninsula. The weather is typical for the end of September. Anyone traveling to Greece in October will likely experience wonderfully sunny, warm days again.

Why the thermometer is currently rising again

According to the DWD, the currently high temperatures are related to the particularly hot and dry summer. “The air masses are very dry, so the air heats up a lot during the day,” explained Hansen. “Even dry soils heat up faster.”

According to an initial assessment by the DWD, the summer of 2026 was the second warmest ever officially measured in Germany. Möckern-Drewitz in Saxony-Anhalt set the temperature record: 41.8 degrees were measured there on June 27th. There was also a nighttime record this summer: in Kubschütz, Saxony, the temperature did not fall below 29.4 degrees on the night of June 27th to 28th.

According to estimates by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), around 16,000 people had died as a result of heat by the end of summer.