Weather: Will Germany see snow this Easter?

Temperatures will plunge into the single digits during Holy Week leading up to Easter and light snowfall may be seen in a few regions across Germany, weather expert Jan Schenk told The Weather Channel on Wednesday.

At Easter, the mercury will climb again, although some parts of the Bundesrepublik may experience night frost on Easter Sunday (April 9th) and Easter Monday (April 10th) as temperatures hover around 0C before reaching the double digits again during the day.

READ ALSO: How to celebrate Easter 2023 in Germany

According to Schenk, the weather situation in Germany will be divided into two zones in the coming days. 

While warm air will reach the western part of the country, making up to 20C possible in places, it will remain comparatively cold in eastern Germany with temperatures of maximum 10C. 

In the eastern part of the Ore Mountains in Saxony, precipitation is likely to turn into snow, wrote the German Weather Service (DWD) in its Wednesday report.

The whole country is also slated to see gray weather over the long four-day weekend. “From Good Friday to Easter Monday, it will generally be cloudier than sunny,” wrote DWD. 

“Mostly variable to heavy clouds will prevail. Only occasionally and in certain areas will the sun have a chance to emerge for a while.”

On Easter Sunday Berlin is likely to see highs of 11C, Munich 10C, Hamburg 12C and Cologne 14C.

How common is snow over Easter?

Historically, snow over Easter weekend in Germany is a rare occurrence. According to an evaluation of the years 1950 to 2020 by weather service Kachelmannwetter, the last time Germany saw snow on Easter Sunday was in 2013.

In Munich the snow cover was one centimetre thick at that time, whereas in Berlin it even reached nine centimetres. 

To find a white Easter Monday, you have to travel back to 1978. At that time, there were two centimetres of snow in Munich.

The year 2023 has already set a record in terms of rain, as Germany experienced the wettest March in more than 20 years. 

According to preliminary calculations from DWD, more precipitation fell in the month than in any comparable month since 2001, and it rained on two out of three days.

Germany also reported unusually warm temperatures at the beginning of the year, with up to 22C recorded in some parts of the country over New Year’s Eve and day. 

That means that the country will see a colder Easter than turn of the year - another strange occurrence.

READ ALSO: Temperatures of 'up to 22C' expected on New Year's Eve in Germany