Climatology — fundamentals
Climatology is the science of mean weather over long periods. The climate of a place determines typical scenarios, predictability, and risks.
Source: WMO Climate Manual; DWD Klima-Atlas Deutschland; AMS Glossary; IPCC AR6.
Climate vs climatic values
"Climate" is the average variation of weather over the course of many decades:
- Standard period: 30 years (e.g. 1991-2020 as current normal period).
- Includes means, extremes, distributions, variability.
"Climatic values" refers to the long-time average of weather elements and weather conditions.
Climate vs weather
| Weather | Climate | |
|---|---|---|
| Time | Hours to days | Decades |
| Predictability | Limited (5-7 d) | Good for trends |
| Variability | High | Low (mean) |
Central Europe — climatic region
Central European airspace lies in the zone of travelling low-pressure systems:
- Dominant weather dynamics: west-east lows.
- Weather typically variable, mild winter (Atlantic), not too hot summer.
Seasonal shift of pressure systems
The zone of travelling lows in the Northern Hemisphere lies more northerly in summer than in winter (see pressure-systems lesson) — climate consequence:
- Summer: Central Europe can be under high pressure (Azores high) → more stable.
- Winter: more low passages → more change.
Typical weather situations in Central Europe
Summer
- High pressure (fair weather): warm, sunny, diurnal convection.
- With front passage: thunderstorms, showers, change.
- Heat low: hot dry days over Mediterranean.
Winter
- Low passages: storm, rain/snow, mild interludes.
- High pressure with inversion: fog/high fog, cold surface air.
- Russian high: cold easterly air, clear, frost.
Local winds and their weather
- Foehn (Alpine lee): warm, dry, clear.
- Bora (Adriatic): cold dry storm.
- Mistral (Rhone valley): cold NW gale.
(See local-winds lesson.)
VFR forecast
- Three-day forecast by DWD for VFR and aviation sports (see met-products).
- GAFOR for VFR planning.
Orographic thunderstorms
The Central German Uplands can cause orographic thunderstorms because factors beyond just elevation — such as moist unstable air masses, prevailing winds, and topographic forcing — can trigger convective uplift and storm development even in moderate mountain ranges.
Autumn thunderstorm maximum
Autumn has the maximum thunderstorm activity over the North and Baltic Sea — reason: warm sea water combined with cold upper air → strong instability.
Climate Manual*; DWD Klima-Atlas Deutschland; AMS Glossary; IPCC AR6.*