It wasn't so many weeks ago that most Germans were wondering what had happened to summer. Rain, dark clouds and wind dominated June and July to the point that the country's largest circulation newspaper Bild asked its readers to help find the sun. Even as southern Europe was sweltering amid an extended heat wave, the northern part of the continent was awash in precipitation and foul moods.
That would seem to have changed. Germany over the weekend saw high temperatures of over 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit) on Sunday, just shy of the hottest day ever recorded in the country back in 2003. Temperatures on Monday were only slightly lower.
The result, not surprisingly, was a mass emigration from city centers around the country to surrounding lakes as residents were finally able to dig out their swim trunks and sunscreen. Beaches in the north were jammed, beer gardens in Bavaria were filled to capacity and lines were long at the ice cream parlors.
Indeed, the only place where people didn't seem to be enjoying the sudden blast of Saharan heat was on the trains. As has become something of a tradition in Germany, the air conditioning failed on several trains in the country on Sunday, resulting in unbearable temperatures inside. Some two dozen trains were either cancelled or replaced due to malfunctioning air conditioning systems. Only a very small percentage of trains were affected, but the problem nevertheless recalled the epidemic of overheated trains which sent several people to the hospital in the summer of 2010.
For those who prefer cooler temperatures, relief is already in sight. Highs for the rest of the week are projected to be in the mid to low 20s. In southern Europe, meanwhile, summer is set to last a while longer.
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Summer truly arrived in Germany over the weekend with temperatures soaring to almost 40 degrees Celcius in some parts of the country. But the whole nation made the best of the warm weather, flocking to beaches, lakes and swimming pools to cool down in the heat. Here, people make the most of the fine weather at "Badeschiff" an urban beach and swimming pool, at the Spree river in Berlin.
The highest temperatures of the season were recorded in Germany on Sunday with the mercury rising to over 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit).
Germans had spent much of the summer complaining about the unseasonable amount of rainfall this year. On the weekend, people were searching of water of a different sort.
Pools and lakes around the country were packed as residents hoped to cool down.
Urban beaches were another popular method to beat the heat. Pictured here, the line outside the Strandbad Wannsee, a beach near Berlin.
Once inside, beachgoers found plenty of sunshine and cool water -- and other beachgoers.
Temperatures on Sunday fell short of the records set in 2003 -- but only just. Still, Germany's summer has been mild and wet compared to the scorching weeks experienced in southern Europe.
Germany's coastlines were packed with sun seekers as well. Pictured here, a beach at Travemünde on the Baltic Sea.
Brandenburg, the state surrounding Berlin, is famous for its lakes. Here, the Sacrower See is mobbed on Sunday.
The summer weather is expected to continue, though it will cool down by a few degrees in the coming days.
Bavaria too has a large collection of cool lakes nestled up against the foothills of the Alps. Here, a young man jumps into Ammersee lake just south of Munich.
Those who couldn't escape the city, like this boy in Berlin, made the best of it.
These children take a dip in a swimming pool in Hanover.
Making the best of a beach basket on the North Sea in northern Germany.
Booming trade: Pictured here, three ice cream cars drive along the beach on the German island of Usedom.
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