Recent government warnings about water usage are borne out by the latest results from the Luxembourg’s meteorological office, MeteoLux, which has reported that the spring of 2017 was warmer and much drier compared to the long-term average in Luxembourg.
This year was characterised in particular by high pressure in April and May, a change from the highly variable March. The end of that month brought a south-western current which led to very mild weather in Luxembourg.
In April, persistent high pressure led to very dry weather, while polar winds drove temperatures below freezing at nights.
May brought sultry-warm air masses, and with them the risk of thunderstorms. From the second half of May, several high-pressure areas dominated, and on the last weekend, the high "Walrita" caused high temperatures.
This year’s average temperatures for spring exceeded those of the years between 2001 and 2010.
The slightest deviation was measured at 0.2°C at the Echternach and Schimpach stations, while the highest deviation was recorded at Findel station at 1.3°C (1.8°C relative to 1981 - 2010).
May 2017 was the warmest with a monthly average of 15.8 ° C at the Remich am station. There the absolute maximum of the air temperature was recorded on 28th May at 32.7°C while the minimum was recorded at -9.3°C on 20 April in Schimpach.
Temperatures in March and May were well above those of the reference periods. This year’s March at the Findel station, together with the March 2012, saw the warmest March since the beginning of the records in the year 1947.
Measured rainfall levels this spring were significantly lower than in the comparative period 2001 - 2010. Since 2001, only the early years in 2011 and 2014 were even drier.
At the Remich station, about one-quarter (-28%) less rainfall was measured, while in most other stations less than half was recorded. At Useldange, the lowest precipitation height was measured at 83.4mm. The rainfall at Findel shows a considerable deficit in all three months. April was the second-driest April with a rainfall of 5.3mm since the beginning of records.
The high rainfall deficit, combined with the frosts in April, had a negative impact on the development of agricultural and horticultural crops. An analysis of the ASTA showed that losses of up to 50% were recorded during the first cut in the permanent greenland. In winter wheat, triticale and summer cereals, the deficit deficit resulted in insufficient nitrogen intake and problems with the stocking. Depending on the location, in addition to reductions in quality, there are also fears of a deterioration in quality due to a smaller weight of thousands of grit. The frost in April in fruit growing caused bloody stocks, as well as in different vineyards. Horticulture suffered from the drought, and the irrigation required caused high costs.
