Wet summer in Northern Germany: Where the soil is really standing!

Wet summer in Northern Germany: Where the soil is really standing!

Due to the rainy summer in 2025, the condition of the soil in northern Germany will be very different. The German Weather Service has recorded the soil moisture in detail, enabling an analysis of the water balance in the various crops. This data, calculated daily and ranging from the surface to a depth of 60 cm, paints a clear picture: the current availability of water for plants varies greatly within the region.

A clear map shows that 46.9% of the area is well supplied with water. That sounds positive at first, but at the same time 34.8% are too humid and 18.3% are struggling with dryness. The conditions are particularly precarious in Schleswig-Holstein, where 85.9% of the area struggles with too much water. Lower Saxony, on the other hand, shows a more balanced picture with 50.8% of well-supplied soils, but also suffers from 32.3% of areas that are too dry. Such extreme conditions pose major challenges for farmers, especially when it comes to harvesting grain.

Weather conditions and their consequences

July 2025 brought remarkable amounts of precipitation, which in some parts of northern Germany were even twice as high as the long-term average. Such weather phenomena are not only noticeable for agriculture. Climate change is taking its toll: it influences the duration of large-scale weather patterns and causes more extreme conditions such as longer dry periods followed by heavy rainfall. This dynamic also affects plant photosynthesis, which suffers in dry conditions, while soils that are too wet often cause root rot.

In addition to the direct impacts of climate change on agriculture, the interactions between soil moisture, vegetation and climate are crucial for the entire ecosystem. A current project called DROUGHT-HEAT is dedicated to these complex interactions. It aims to reduce uncertainties in climate models and make more precise predictions about the impact of extreme events on the environment. This research brings insights that are even included in reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, such as the importance of soil moisture in relation to the predicted temperature extremes in Central Europe.

Long-term impacts on climate and agriculture

The availability of water in the soil not only plays a role for plants, but also significantly influences CO2 emissions. Terrestrial ecosystems absorb around 25-30% of man-made emissions. The interactions between water, vegetation and the climate are particularly important in times of droughts and heat waves. Along with global warming, we must also expect more extreme weather events in the future, which affects uncertainties about future developments in agriculture and other areas.

In summary, it can be said that the current situation in Northern Germany not only poses challenges for farmers, but also has far-reaching consequences for our entire environment. A stable high pressure area still seems unattainable in the long term, while the forecasts are sending rather mixed signals. The coming months will show how the weather conditions develop and what strategies are necessary to bring agriculture and nature into harmony.

For detailed information and statistics about the current soil moisture in northern Germany, read more at NDR and the research contributions of the project CORDIS.