Vegetation period in Germany two weeks ahead of long-term average

Due to the mild weather in winter, the vegetation period in Germany this year had started in mid-March, almost two weeks before the long-term average, the German National Meteorological Service (DWD) announced on Tuesday. Almost at the same time, very low-precipitation weather had set in and "soil moisture in Germany was unusually low in April," DWD noted.

The consequences could be observed during walks in nature and gardens, said Tobias Fuchs, director of climate and environment at DWD. "The upper soil layers have dried up. In some areas of Germany, the soil moisture is already conspicuously low."

Between March 14 and April 18, less than 10 liters per square meter of rain had fallen in Germany, according to calculations from DWD. At the same time, sunshine, very dry air and winds had caused high evaporation rates.