Warm winter brings hazelnuts and ticks

Spring-like temperatures throughout Germany

09/01/2014

While many people in the US are struggling with extreme cold, here in Germany there are mild, almost spring-like temperatures. This does not just start for allergy sufferers „Pollen season“ much sooner than usual, even the first birds are on the search for nesting sites.

USA trembles at up to -54.5 degrees Celsius perceived temperature
Large parts of the US continue to suffer from arctic cold, loud „tagesschau.de“ was measured near Lake Duluth, Minnesota on Lake Superior, the lowest value now -54.5 degrees Celsius perceived temperature including wind factor, the metropolis Chicago is currently freezing at minus 25 degrees. In Germany, on the other hand, winter is still not in sight, instead „In Germany, the average temperature in December was on average 2.7 degrees above the long-term average. In January, the positive deviation is even over 5 degrees, considering only the first 7 days“, explains Dipl.-Met. Marcus Beyer from the German Weather Service (DWD).

Mild winter not only benefits
Instead of winter atmosphere with snow and freezing people in thick coats comes in this country so currently more spring mood, with mild temperatures up to 15 degrees Celsius, first birdsong and blooming flowers in the front gardens. By the end of the week should the „spring“ According to the meteorologists still pause - then the temperatures would probably sink again. But the mild winter not only benefits. Allergy sufferers, for example, have to struggle much earlier with pollen than usual, because in parts of the country, for example, hazel pollen is already in the air. According to information from the German Weather Service (DWD), these are currently North Rhine-Westphalia, the Saarland and the Frankfurt area „low burden“, but even in Lower Saxony, East Westphalia, Saxony-Anhalt and northern Hesse, a burden can not be ruled out even in these days.

Warm temperatures disturb the bio-rhythm of the animals
The mild winter weather, however, not only affects humans - especially for the animals, the warm temperatures mix the usual organic rhythm and ensure that certain processes start much earlier than usual: „This year, the birds have already started singing around Christmas and seem to be more active than usual, "says Lars Lachmann from the German Nature Conservation Association (NABU) to the news agency „AFP“. This would affect, for example, great tits and blue tits, who would now look for suitable places to nest in early January. In addition, the latest bird census would have shown that fewer birds than usual in gardens would look for food, as by the warm weather in the „outdoors“ there is still enough food to be found: „Overall, the number of birds in the gardens and parks is slightly lower than in the previous year, with an average of exactly 40 per observation site, which is eight percent less“, said the bird protection expert.

Ticks active much earlier than usual
Therefore, even a sudden change in the weather would be no problem for the animals, because then the birds would either look for food in the cities or head south. Also for ticks is the current weather, according to Christine Klaus from „National Reference Laboratory for tick-borne diseases“ ideal in Jena. Since the small spider animals are active from about six degrees Celsius, the tick season does not begin as usual end of February / early March, but already much earlier. But that would not mean a tick plague for a long time, according to the expert „AFP“, because „When it gets crisp, the ticks retreat.“

Late frost in spring damages young shoots
However, the mild temperatures could have a slightly more problematic effect on agriculture. As the agricultural meteorologist Franz-Josef Löpmeier from the DWD opposite the „AFP“ explains that later on, frost in the spring could damage the young shoots if winter sowing grows too early in the current warm temperatures. It would be particularly tricky if the temperatures then slipped below minus ten degrees and at the same time there is no snow - the plants are not hardened enough to survive this unscathed.

Strong cold air flow early next week?
But such a serious change in weather is currently not according to the meteorologists from the German Weather Service in sight. According to Dipl.-Met. Marcus Beyer from the DWD currently indeed „model results“, which would emanate from a strong cold air flow early next week, „other solutions, however, leave the cold air over Eastern Europe or provide only a short sweep“, the weather expert continues. (No)

Picture: Volker Mühlenbruch