Heat wave in Germany and 45 other countries, 13 December 2019 to 2 January 2020

Name: Heat wave in Germany and 45 other countries, 13 December 2019 to 2 January 2020
Start: 2019-12-13
End: 2020-01-02
Location: Germany, Spain, Russia, France, Ukraine, Romania, Belarus, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Algeria, Estonia, Finland, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Hungary, Austria, Poland, Morocco, Sweden, Czech Republic, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Tunisia, Switzerland, Lithuania, Serbia, Greece, Latvia, Azerbaijan, Netherlands, Tajikistan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Montenegro, Armenia, Iran, Moldova, Denmark, Gibraltar [United Kingdom], Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium

Heat wave in Germany and 45 other countries, 13 December 2019 to 2 January 2020: 1,792 records at 701 stations, peak on 18 December 2019. Closed.

Data as of 2026-10-12. Last revised 12 October 2026 (2026-10-12).

Key Facts

Heat wave in Germany and 45 other countries, 13 December 2019 to 2 January 2020 set or tied 1,792 station records at 701 stations.
It ran from 13 December 2019 to 2 January 2020 (21 days) and its peak day was 18 December 2019.
Status: closed.
Graz set a monthly record high minimum temperature of 8.5 C (47.3 F) on 18 December 2019.
The busiest day was 18 December 2019 with 259 records.
The oldest broken record in the ranked list had stood for 138 years.

Footprint

13 December 2019 to 2 January 2020

The area covered by Heat wave in Germany and 45 other countries, 13 December 2019 to 2 January 2020 is outlined, with 18 of the stations that set records marked, coloured by record type. Made with Natural Earth.

Footprint of Heat wave in Germany and 45 other countries, 13 December 2019 to 2 January 2020: stations that set records in the event
Station	Type	Value	Date
Graz	Record high minimum temperature	8.5 C (47.3 F)	2019-12-18
Nemours (Ghazaouet)	Record high minimum temperature	18.6 C (65.5 F)	2019-12-22
Vilnius	Record high maximum temperature	9.8 C (49.6 F)	2019-12-18
Buzau	Record high minimum temperature	8.6 C (47.5 F)	2019-12-23
Tortosa - Observatorio del Ebr	Record high minimum temperature	17.4 C (63.3 F)	2019-12-13
Hvar	Record high minimum temperature	16.3 C (61.3 F)	2019-12-17
Torrevieja	Record high maximum temperature	24.2 C (75.6 F)	2019-12-24
Turkmen-Bashi	Record high maximum temperature	20.6 C (69.1 F)	2019-12-26
Velikie Luki	Record high maximum temperature	8.1 C (46.6 F)	2019-12-18
Halmstad	Record high maximum temperature	9.8 C (49.6 F)	2019-12-18
Albacete Los Llanos	Record high minimum temperature	11.3 C (52.3 F)	2019-12-20
Szeged	Record high maximum temperature	14.5 C (58.1 F)	2019-12-21
Lubny	Record high minimum temperature	8.6 C (47.5 F)	2019-12-23
Turnu Magurele	Record high minimum temperature	5.3 C (41.5 F)	2019-12-24
Fichtelberg	Record high minimum temperature	6.1 C (43.0 F)	2019-12-17
Innsbruck	Record high maximum temperature	16.2 C (61.2 F)	2019-12-18
Debrecen Airport	Record high maximum temperature	13.5 C (56.3 F)	2019-12-21
Szombathely	Record high minimum temperature	4.6 C (40.3 F)	2019-12-23

Records per Day

Peak day 259

Records set or tied each day from 13 December 2019 to 2 January 2020. The most in one day was 259 on 18 December 2019.

Records per day during Heat wave in Germany and 45 other countries, 13 December 2019 to 2 January 2020
Date	Records
2019-12-13	18
2019-12-14	28
2019-12-15	66
2019-12-16	61
2019-12-17	222
2019-12-18	259
2019-12-19	178
2019-12-20	176
2019-12-21	181
2019-12-22	148
2019-12-23	122
2019-12-24	113
2019-12-25	71
2019-12-26	48
2019-12-27	35
2019-12-28	24
2019-12-29	13
2019-12-30	5
2019-12-31	5
2020-01-01	11
2020-01-02	8

Top Records by Margin

Margin over the record replaced

Top records of Heat wave in Germany and 45 other countries, 13 December 2019 to 2 January 2020 ranked by margin
Turkmen-Bashi, 12-26	5.2 C (9.4 F)
Nemours (Ghazaouet), 12-22	2.6 C (4.7 F)
Vilnius, 12-18	2.6 C (4.7 F)
Buzau, 12-23	2.6 C (4.7 F)
Fichtelberg, 12-17	2.5 C (4.5 F)
Torrevieja, 12-24	2.2 C (4.0 F)
Tortosa - Observatorio del Ebr, 12-13	1.7 C (3.1 F)
Hvar, 12-17	1.6 C (2.9 F)
Velikie Luki, 12-18	1.6 C (2.9 F)
Hvar, 12-18	1.4 C (2.5 F)
Turnu Magurele, 12-24	1.3 C (2.3 F)
Szeged, 12-21	1.0 C (1.8 F)
Albacete Los Llanos, 12-20	0.9 C (1.6 F)
Innsbruck, 12-20	0.9 C (1.6 F)
Debrecen Airport, 12-21	0.9 C (1.6 F)

Margin is how far the new value is beyond the record it replaced. Ties are not shown.

Margin Against Age of the Broken Record

500 records plotted by how far they beat the old record (across) and how many years the old record had stood (up). Long standing records beaten by a wide margin sit in the top right.

Margin against age of the broken record in Heat wave in Germany and 45 other countries, 13 December 2019 to 2 January 2020
Margin (C)	Years the old record stood
0.3	104
2.6	93
2.6	114
2.6	117
1.6	117
1.7	100
1.4	132
2.2	92
5.2	78
1.0	117
1.3	117
1.6	132
0.9	109
0.8	121
0.3	80
0.5	116
0.9	132
2.5	86
0.9	117
0.9	96
0.6	117
0.1	104
0.1	138
4.6	73
0.6	64
0.1	108
0.3	108
2.5	80
1.6	86
2.1	84
4.1	76
1.9	86
2.1	84
0.5	93
1.5	81
3.2	73
0.3	97
1.5	86
1.2	86
0.6	86
1.2	86
4.1	54
5.6	60
1.9	76
1.6	54
5.7	64
8.9	45
1.7	81
0.6	86
2.1	70
1.5	82
0.3	86
0.1	66
1.7	73
3.9	58
1.2	77
0.4	82
4.9	62
3.0	60
0.2	84
1.2	73
1.1	58
3.2	60
3.4	69
1.7	81
2.8	68
4.4	58
2.9	60
2.0	64
1.7	64
0.4	77
0.1	84
0.9	82
1.3	77
0.6	73
5.4	34
2.1	70
2.2	54
5.1	33
5.4	29
0.5	76
1.1	68
4.8	58
4.5	58
0.6	72
0.4	43
2.1	60
0.1	73
2.0	66
3.0	58
1.2	64
3.7	58
0.2	73
2.5	62
5.4	44
0.1	77
2.2	58
4.8	56
5.6	54
0.7	66
2.8	53
2.2	64
2.3	66
0.7	45
3.2	60
4.2	58
0.5	64
0.6	64
2.3	60
2.4	62
0.4	34
1.6	69
2.8	62
1.3	60
1.1	29
2.2	57
1.6	68
4.4	54
1.2	62
1.2	66
0.4	68
0.1	41
1.2	60
0.4	72
1.9	68
0.5	62
0.4	64
0.9	69
2.0	62
1.3	62
0.4	41
0.9	62
3.3	54
3.4	45
1.3	58
2.3	60
3.9	40
3.1	58
3.6	58
0.2	68
0.2	40
1.2	58
2.4	62
0.7	58
2.2	60
1.1	64
1.6	60
2.2	25
1.6	60
0.4	35
0.2	60
0.2	60
0.1	60
1.8	60
2.3	41
3.9	4
1.0	68
1.2	60
3.2	40
0.2	60
0.3	61
2.2	58
5.1	45
0.5	61
1.0	58
1.8	58
0.3	29
1.9	56
1.2	65
3.5	44
6.1	38
0.5	39
0.7	60
0.4	60
2.0	58
4.5	16
0.8	64
6.0	24
2.6	44
2.0	58
0.5	65
0.2	60
0.3	60
5.2	44
2.4	52
0.5	62
1.1	62
1.2	62
0.7	60
0.9	62
1.2	37
0.9	60
3.8	48
2.2	58
0.7	62
5.2	41
0.8	60
0.9	56
0.7	56
0.7	50

Compared With Other Events

Station records per event

Station records in Heat wave in Germany and 45 other countries, 13 December 2019 to 2 January 2020 compared with similar events
Heat wave in United States and Mexico, 16 January to 14 February 2024	9,869 records
Heat wave in United States, 28 January to 24 February 2026	6,528 records
Heat wave in United States and Mexico, 24 May to 19 June 2020	5,047 records
Heat wave in United States and Mexico, 26 March to 17 April 2021	3,669 records
Heat wave in Germany and 49 other countries, 18 December 2021 to 15 January 2022	3,626 records
Heat wave in Germany and 45 other countries, 13 December 2019 to 2 January 2020 (this event)	1,792 records

Every Record Set

20 of 1,792

Every record set or tied during Heat wave in Germany and 45 other countries, 13 December 2019 to 2 January 2020, in date order
Date	Station	Record	Value	Margin	Years stood	Significance
2019-12-13	Tortosa - Observatorio del Ebr	Record high minimum temperature	17.4 C (63.3 F)	1.7 C (3.1 F)	100	44 of 100 (Notable)
2019-12-17	Hvar	Record high minimum temperature	16.3 C (61.3 F)	1.6 C (2.9 F)	117	44 of 100 (Notable)
2019-12-17	Fichtelberg	Record high minimum temperature	6.1 C (43.0 F)	2.5 C (4.5 F)	86	41 of 100 (Notable)
2019-12-18	Graz	Record high minimum temperature	8.5 C (47.3 F)	0.3 C (0.5 F)	104	50 of 100 (Notable)
2019-12-18	Vilnius	Record high maximum temperature	9.8 C (49.6 F)	2.6 C (4.7 F)	114	45 of 100 (Notable)
2019-12-18	Hvar	Record high minimum temperature	16.4 C (61.5 F)	1.4 C (2.5 F)	132	43 of 100 (Notable)
2019-12-18	Velikie Luki	Record high maximum temperature	8.1 C (46.6 F)	1.6 C (2.9 F)	132	42 of 100 (Notable)
2019-12-18	Halmstad	Record high maximum temperature	9.8 C (49.6 F)	0.8 C (1.4 F)	121	42 of 100 (Notable)
2019-12-18	Innsbruck	Record high maximum temperature	16.2 C (61.2 F)	0.5 C (0.9 F)	116	41 of 100 (Notable)
2019-12-20	Albacete Los Llanos	Record high minimum temperature	11.3 C (52.3 F)	0.9 C (1.6 F)	109	42 of 100 (Notable)
2019-12-20	Innsbruck	Record high maximum temperature	14.3 C (57.7 F)	0.9 C (1.6 F)	132	41 of 100 (Notable)
2019-12-21	Szeged	Record high maximum temperature	14.5 C (58.1 F)	1.0 C (1.8 F)	117	42 of 100 (Notable)
2019-12-21	Debrecen Airport	Record high maximum temperature	13.5 C (56.3 F)	0.9 C (1.6 F)	117	41 of 100 (Notable)
2019-12-22	Nemours (Ghazaouet)	Record high minimum temperature	18.6 C (65.5 F)	2.6 C (4.7 F)	93	47 of 100 (Notable)
2019-12-23	Buzau	Record high minimum temperature	8.6 C (47.5 F)	2.6 C (4.7 F)	117	45 of 100 (Notable)
2019-12-23	Lubny	Record high minimum temperature	8.6 C (47.5 F)	0.3 C (0.5 F)	80	42 of 100 (Notable)
2019-12-23	Szombathely	Record high minimum temperature	4.6 C (40.3 F)	0.9 C (1.6 F)	96	41 of 100 (Notable)
2019-12-24	Torrevieja	Record high maximum temperature	24.2 C (75.6 F)	2.2 C (4.0 F)	92	43 of 100 (Notable)
2019-12-24	Turnu Magurele	Record high minimum temperature	5.3 C (41.5 F)	1.3 C (2.3 F)	117	42 of 100 (Notable)
2019-12-26	Turkmen-Bashi	Record high maximum temperature	20.6 C (69.1 F)	5.2 C (9.4 F)	78	43 of 100 (Notable)

The daily ledgers keep a limited number of records per day, so this list has 20 of the 1,792 records the event counts. The counts above use the full total.

Download the Data

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Climatology Network Daily (GHCN-Daily). Records are computed by World Extreme Weather Monitor and are not official NOAA products. (US Government open data (NOAA NCEI)) Data as of 2026-10-12. Events are found by this site from station records and are not official designations. Records are provisional until reprocessed.

Margin (C)	Years the old record stood
0.3	104
2.6	93
2.6	114
2.6	117
1.6	117
1.7	100
1.4	132
2.2	92
5.2	78
1.0	117
1.3	117
1.6	132
0.9	109
0.8	121
0.3	80
0.5	116
0.9	132
2.5	86
0.9	117
0.9	96
0.6	117
0.1	104
0.1	138
4.6	73
0.6	64
0.1	108
0.3	108
2.5	80
1.6	86
2.1	84
4.1	76
1.9	86
2.1	84
0.5	93
1.5	81
3.2	73
0.3	97
1.5	86
1.2	86
0.6	86
1.2	86
4.1	54
5.6	60
1.9	76
1.6	54
5.7	64
8.9	45
1.7	81
0.6	86
2.1	70
1.5	82
0.3	86
0.1	66
1.7	73
3.9	58
1.2	77
0.4	82
4.9	62
3.0	60
0.2	84
1.2	73
1.1	58
3.2	60
3.4	69
1.7	81
2.8	68
4.4	58
2.9	60
2.0	64
1.7	64
0.4	77
0.1	84
0.9	82
1.3	77
0.6	73
5.4	34
2.1	70
2.2	54
5.1	33
5.4	29
0.5	76
1.1	68
4.8	58
4.5	58
0.6	72
0.4	43
2.1	60
0.1	73
2.0	66
3.0	58
1.2	64
3.7	58
0.2	73
2.5	62
5.4	44
0.1	77
2.2	58
4.8	56
5.6	54
0.7	66
2.8	53
2.2	64
2.3	66
0.7	45
3.2	60
4.2	58
0.5	64
0.6	64
2.3	60
2.4	62
0.4	34
1.6	69
2.8	62
1.3	60
1.1	29
2.2	57
1.6	68
4.4	54
1.2	62
1.2	66
0.4	68
0.1	41
1.2	60
0.4	72
1.9	68
0.5	62
0.4	64
0.9	69
2.0	62
1.3	62
0.4	41
0.9	62
3.3	54
3.4	45
1.3	58
2.3	60
3.9	40
3.1	58
3.6	58
0.2	68
0.2	40
1.2	58
2.4	62
0.7	58
2.2	60
1.1	64
1.6	60
2.2	25
1.6	60
0.4	35
0.2	60
0.2	60
0.1	60
1.8	60
2.3	41
3.9	4
1.0	68
1.2	60
3.2	40
0.2	60
0.3	61
2.2	58
5.1	45
0.5	61
1.0	58
1.8	58
0.3	29
1.9	56
1.2	65
3.5	44
6.1	38
0.5	39
0.7	60
0.4	60
2.0	58
4.5	16
0.8	64
6.0	24
2.6	44
2.0	58
0.5	65
0.2	60
0.3	60
5.2	44
2.4	52
0.5	62
1.1	62
1.2	62
0.7	60
0.9	62
1.2	37
0.9	60
3.8	48
2.2	58
0.7	62
5.2	41
0.8	60
0.9	56
0.7	56
0.7	50

Margin (C)	Years the old record stood
0.3	104
2.6	93
2.6	114
2.6	117
1.6	117
1.7	100
1.4	132
2.2	92
5.2	78
1.0	117
1.3	117
1.6	132
0.9	109
0.8	121
0.3	80
0.5	116
0.9	132
2.5	86
0.9	117
0.9	96
0.6	117
0.1	104
0.1	138
4.6	73
0.6	64
0.1	108
0.3	108
2.5	80
1.6	86
2.1	84
4.1	76
1.9	86
2.1	84
0.5	93
1.5	81
3.2	73
0.3	97
1.5	86
1.2	86
0.6	86
1.2	86
4.1	54
5.6	60
1.9	76
1.6	54
5.7	64
8.9	45
1.7	81
0.6	86
2.1	70
1.5	82
0.3	86
0.1	66
1.7	73
3.9	58
1.2	77
0.4	82
4.9	62
3.0	60
0.2	84
1.2	73
1.1	58
3.2	60
3.4	69
1.7	81
2.8	68
4.4	58
2.9	60
2.0	64
1.7	64
0.4	77
0.1	84
0.9	82
1.3	77
0.6	73
5.4	34
2.1	70
2.2	54
5.1	33
5.4	29
0.5	76
1.1	68
4.8	58
4.5	58
0.6	72
0.4	43
2.1	60
0.1	73
2.0	66
3.0	58
1.2	64
3.7	58
0.2	73
2.5	62
5.4	44
0.1	77
2.2	58
4.8	56
5.6	54
0.7	66
2.8	53
2.2	64
2.3	66
0.7	45
3.2	60
4.2	58
0.5	64
0.6	64
2.3	60
2.4	62
0.4	34
1.6	69
2.8	62
1.3	60
1.1	29
2.2	57
1.6	68
4.4	54
1.2	62
1.2	66
0.4	68
0.1	41
1.2	60
0.4	72
1.9	68
0.5	62
0.4	64
0.9	69
2.0	62
1.3	62
0.4	41
0.9	62
3.3	54
3.4	45
1.3	58
2.3	60
3.9	40
3.1	58
3.6	58
0.2	68
0.2	40
1.2	58
2.4	62
0.7	58
2.2	60
1.1	64
1.6	60
2.2	25
1.6	60
0.4	35
0.2	60
0.2	60
0.1	60
1.8	60
2.3	41
3.9	4
1.0	68
1.2	60
3.2	40
0.2	60
0.3	61
2.2	58
5.1	45
0.5	61
1.0	58
1.8	58
0.3	29
1.9	56
1.2	65
3.5	44
6.1	38
0.5	39
0.7	60
0.4	60
2.0	58
4.5	16
0.8	64
6.0	24
2.6	44
2.0	58
0.5	65
0.2	60
0.3	60
5.2	44
2.4	52
0.5	62
1.1	62
1.2	62
0.7	60
0.9	62
1.2	37
0.9	60
3.8	48
2.2	58
0.7	62
5.2	41
0.8	60
0.9	56
0.7	56
0.7	50