AI-generated summary
The German Weather Service defines a hot day as a day with a maximum temperature of at least 30 degrees. In the past, the last hot day of the year in North Rhine-Westphalia was recorded at five measuring stations on September 22nd, with a previous high of 30.4 degrees in Werl on September 22nd, 2006.
North Rhine-Westphalia exceeded the 30 degree mark again on the last day of September. At the Lippstadt-Bökenförde measuring station, 30.9 degrees were measured, as the German Weather Service (DWD) in Essen announced. According to the meteorologists' evaluation, this is the latest hot day of a year that has so far been recorded in North Rhine-Westphalia. A day with a maximum temperature of at least 30 degrees is considered “hot”.
The current record high of almost 31 degrees on the last day of September in Lippstadt means “a new milestone,” said DWD meteorologist Thomas Kesseler-Lauterkorn. “The value fits into the overall picture of the extreme summer months.” However, temperatures of 30 degrees and more are not expected in North Rhine-Westphalia in October.
In 2026 there were more hot days in North Rhine-Westphalia than ever before
In the past, the last hot day of the year was recorded at five measuring stations on September 22nd, with the previous high of 30.4 degrees in Werl on September 22nd, 2006.
According to the DWD, there were almost 23 hot days in the area average for the whole of North Rhine-Westphalia in 2026. This means that the previous maximum number of almost 18 hot days from 2022 and 2018 has been significantly exceeded. According to the long-term climate average (1991 to 2020), on average only around 8 hot days per year are common in North Rhine-Westphalia.
According to the GVM study, the proportion of recycled material in PET beverage bottles is 58 percent, seven percentage points higher than in 2023. The EU minimum target of 25 percent is significantly exceeded. However, environmentalists criticize the declining reusable share of only 34.5 percent and warn that recycling alone cannot solve the plastic crisis.

At the beginning of autumn, the water levels of the Rhine fell into negative territory at many measuring points. This leads to significant restrictions in inland shipping and burdens chemical companies such as Evonik, BASF and Lanxess with delivery bottlenecks.
The level of Lake Constance is falling sharply due to drought and a lack of meltwater and is approaching the 2.50 meter mark. The German Weather Service is forecasting rainfall, but there is no lasting relief in sight.

The water level of Lake Constance in Konstanz is close to the 2.50 meter mark. Due to drought and a lack of meltwater, the State Environmental Agency expects further decline.
The Saarbrücken fire department is warning of odor nuisances in neighboring regions following a material leak at the Carling chemical plant in France. Residents are asked to keep windows and doors closed.
In Thailand, floods in 29 provinces and Bangkok have killed at least 22 people and affected over 2.6 million people. The government has decided to provide emergency aid worth around 107 million euros while the flood situation remains tense.