Overview
- Germany began 2026 with widespread snow, severe frost and major disruptions, then saw a brief thaw with Oberrhein temperatures forecast near 13°C on Wednesday.
- Traditional proverbs assert that a white, frigid January heralds a hot summer or strong harvest, reflecting centuries of farm observation.
- The Deutscher Wetterdienst and statistical summaries put most sayings’ success rates around 50–60 percent, cautioning that they are not reliable seasonal forecasts.
- Some calendar rules draw interest this month, including Antoni on January 17 with a reported signal for a drier year and Vigilius on January 31 tied to roughly 65 percent more March frost after late‑January cold.
- Reporting highlights larger-scale factors such as ENSO state and climate change as the primary influences on Europe’s summer conditions.