This winter brought the coolest January in more than fifteen years, but some parts of Luxembourg saw their second-driest winter since records began in 1947, according to figures just released by the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology. The season brought average temperatures of -3.8°C at the Simpach weather station, dropping to a seasonal low of -19.2°C on the 22nd. However, recorded rainfall at some stations was more than 50% lower than previous years.
According to the report, last winter was characterised by plenty of frosty days thanks to a near-constant bank of high pressure which helped to keep Luxembourg cool but dry though Christmas was marked by a low front which brought about mild and more humid conditions.
Temperatures recorded for January were the lowest since 2001. Notwithstanding a drop to -9.7°C on 7 January, Findel showed the smallest deviation with a 0.2°C drop against previous averages, while Remich and Echternach showed the largest fall, with temperatures 1.1°C cooler than previous years.
On the other hand, that high front kept the rain away, and rainfall levels were between 25% and 50% lower than the average amounts recorded for the years between 2001 and 2010, across all stations. Remich and Useldange saw just 80mm of rainfall for the winter, the lowest since 2001, while Findel dropped to the second-lowest level seen since 1947 when records began.
Image: Cool weather for frogs in Wellenstein. © Nicky Sullivan
