Overview
- Forecasts for this week point to a short, cool spell with more showers and some storms, single‑digit daytime highs in places, and nights near freezing in northern, eastern and sheltered valley areas where ground frost is possible.
- Meteorologists expect 6 to 8 °C in parts of North Rhine‑Westphalia, Hesse, Lower Saxony and Mecklenburg‑Western Pomerania, with overnight lows around 2 to 4 °C in the north and isolated frost at ground level.
- The German Weather Service and experts advise waiting until after the mid‑May frost window to plant frost‑sensitive crops, and to protect existing beds with frost fleece or covers and move container plants next to warm house walls or indoors on cold nights.
- Forecasters link the early chill to a weakened polar vortex that let Arctic air slip south sooner than usual, and model guidance points to a rebound to milder or even warm conditions in the second half of May.
- The Ice Saints period from May 11 to 15 is a rule of thumb rather than a guarantee, with frost risk driven by local microclimates; recent years show the pattern often shifting earlier and milder, a trend the DWD notes could reflect a warming climate.