Heat wave in Germany and 49 other countries, 18 December 2021 to 15 January 2022

Name: Heat wave in Germany and 49 other countries, 18 December 2021 to 15 January 2022
Start: 2021-12-18
End: 2022-01-15
Location: Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Romania, Ukraine, Italy, Slovenia, Russia, Croatia, Poland, Turkey, Morocco, Switzerland, Algeria, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Norway, Ireland, Bulgaria, Belarus, Montenegro, Portugal, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Serbia, Slovakia, Libya, Syria, Belgium, Tunisia, Denmark, Georgia, Gibraltar [United Kingdom], Iran, Kuwait, Armenia, Bahrain, Cyprus, Greece, Jordan, Luxembourg, Moldova, Macedonia, Malta, Qatar

Heat wave in Germany and 49 other countries, 18 December 2021 to 15 January 2022: 3,626 records at 834 stations, peak on 31 December 2021. Closed.

Data as of 2026-10-17. Last revised 17 October 2026 (2026-10-17).

Key Facts

Heat wave in Germany and 49 other countries, 18 December 2021 to 15 January 2022 set or tied 3,626 station records at 834 stations.
It ran from 18 December 2021 to 15 January 2022 (29 days) and its peak day was 31 December 2021.
Status: closed.
Marnitz set a monthly record high minimum temperature of 10.5 C (50.9 F) on 1 January 2022.
The busiest day was 31 December 2021 with 783 records.
The oldest broken record in the ranked list had stood for 196 years.

Footprint

18 December 2021 to 15 January 2022

The area covered by Heat wave in Germany and 49 other countries, 18 December 2021 to 15 January 2022 is outlined, with 19 of the stations that set records marked, coloured by record type. Made with Natural Earth.

Footprint of Heat wave in Germany and 49 other countries, 18 December 2021 to 15 January 2022: stations that set records in the event
Station	Type	Value	Date
Marnitz	Record high minimum temperature	10.5 C (50.9 F)	2022-01-01
Bremen-Seefahrtschule	Record high minimum temperature	11.0 C (51.8 F)	2022-01-01
Kirchdorf/Poel	Record high minimum temperature	9.1 C (48.4 F)	2022-01-01
Oxford	Record high minimum temperature	11.6 C (52.9 F)	2022-01-01
Biskra	Record high minimum temperature	15.9 C (60.6 F)	2021-12-29
Col du Grand St-Bernard	Record high minimum temperature	2.6 C (36.7 F)	2021-12-31
Tortosa - Observatorio del Ebr	Record high maximum temperature	24.5 C (76.1 F)	2021-12-29
Bradford	Record high maximum temperature	14.5 C (58.1 F)	2021-12-30
Dublin Phoenix Park	Record high minimum temperature	11.7 C (53.1 F)	2021-12-31
Gorlitz	Record high maximum temperature	14.3 C (57.7 F)	2021-12-31
Kleve	Record high minimum temperature	11.8 C (53.2 F)	2021-12-31
Stiege	Record high minimum temperature	9.5 C (49.1 F)	2021-12-31
Cet Central England	Record high minimum temperature	10.9 C (51.6 F)	2022-01-01
Basel Binningen	Record high maximum temperature	18.7 C (65.7 F)	2022-01-04
Durham	Record high maximum temperature	13.7 C (56.7 F)	2021-12-30
Brocken	Record high minimum temperature	5.1 C (41.2 F)	2021-12-31
Den Helder-1	Record high maximum temperature	13.6 C (56.5 F)	2022-01-01
San Sebastian - Igueldo	Record high minimum temperature	16.6 C (61.9 F)	2022-01-01
Uccle	Record high minimum temperature	12.1 C (53.8 F)	2021-12-30

Records per Day

Peak day 783

Records set or tied each day from 18 December 2021 to 15 January 2022. The most in one day was 783 on 31 December 2021.

Records per day during Heat wave in Germany and 49 other countries, 18 December 2021 to 15 January 2022
Date	Records
2021-12-18	1
2021-12-19	4
2021-12-20	3
2021-12-21	13
2021-12-22	8
2021-12-23	2
2021-12-24	1
2021-12-25	12
2021-12-26	3
2021-12-27	87
2021-12-28	130
2021-12-29	167
2021-12-30	652
2021-12-31	783
2022-01-01	657
2022-01-02	450
2022-01-03	295
2022-01-04	147
2022-01-05	85
2022-01-06	38
2022-01-07	24
2022-01-08	4
2022-01-09	9
2022-01-10	7
2022-01-11	15
2022-01-12	15
2022-01-13	9
2022-01-14	4
2022-01-15	1

Top Records by Margin

Margin over the record replaced

Top records of Heat wave in Germany and 49 other countries, 18 December 2021 to 15 January 2022 ranked by margin
Basel Binningen, 01-04	4.2 C (7.6 F)
Kleve, 12-31	4.1 C (7.4 F)
Col du Grand St-Bernard, 12-31	4.0 C (7.2 F)
Tortosa - Observatorio del Ebr, 12-29	3.5 C (6.3 F)
Gorlitz, 12-31	3.4 C (6.1 F)
Biskra, 12-29	2.9 C (5.2 F)
Brocken, 12-31	2.6 C (4.7 F)
Den Helder-1, 01-01	2.5 C (4.5 F)
Uccle, 12-31	2.5 C (4.5 F)
Dublin Phoenix Park, 12-31	2.3 C (4.1 F)
Bradford, 12-30	2.3 C (4.1 F)
Uccle, 12-30	2.3 C (4.1 F)
Durham, 12-30	2.0 C (3.6 F)
Marnitz, 01-01	1.7 C (3.1 F)
Stiege, 12-31	1.2 C (2.2 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 49 other countries, 18 December 2021 to 15 January 2022
Margin (C)	Years the old record stood
1.7	100
0.7	100
0.9	100
0.8	153
2.9	110
4.0	142
2.3	104
3.4	120
4.1	96
1.2	87
3.5	96
4.2	96
0.4	89
2.3	106
2.6	120
2.5	106
0.8	82
2.0	104
2.3	100
2.5	120
1.9	100
2.8	121
2.2	163
2.4	144
2.5	100
1.9	102
2.3	170
2.0	100
1.7	100
2.3	144
2.6	120
3.3	96
0.9	108
2.1	120
3.3	95
0.2	85
1.6	100
1.4	106
3.2	84
1.4	100
1.1	100
1.6	120
1.7	100
1.6	138
1.8	100
2.0	100
1.6	120
1.7	102
1.9	100
1.7	120
2.6	96
2.1	121
1.3	103
0.8	145
2.1	87
2.4	87
1.5	161
1.3	106
3.0	87
1.3	100
2.3	96
2.1	122
1.8	107
1.2	100
2.0	87
1.3	100
1.1	120
1.3	100
1.6	120
1.3	100
1.3	138
1.5	106
1.6	138
1.3	120
1.0	138
1.3	100
1.1	100
1.6	99
7.5	40
0.9	100
1.2	100
0.8	100
1.9	50
1.2	100
1.3	142
1.0	100
0.9	104
0.7	121
3.2	62
0.4	110
1.7	96
1.4	96
0.6	100
0.5	106
1.5	96
1.0	120
1.5	96
1.0	100
0.9	144
0.6	138
0.7	138
1.9	63
0.5	144
0.7	104
1.3	96
0.9	100
0.9	60
0.3	121
0.6	96
0.5	120
0.4	100
1.2	96
1.0	96
1.2	96
0.4	120
3.2	76
2.7	86
0.2	196
0.3	100
0.3	73
0.3	94
0.7	96
2.0	84
1.5	87
0.7	96
0.6	96
0.8	96
0.7	96
0.5	96
2.8	87
0.5	96
0.7	96
2.0	86
1.1	91
0.8	96
0.9	96
0.4	96
0.5	96
0.9	96
0.9	96
1.1	84
0.4	96
0.4	96
0.7	87
0.1	96
0.1	96
0.4	96
0.5	68
0.1	60
0.1	60
3.9	62
0.1	96
1.2	60
1.1	60
0.9	60
1.1	60
1.2	60
3.8	32
0.1	90
0.2	95
3.7	62
1.9	50
0.1	87
0.1	60
0.9	60
1.6	41
2.6	76
6.4	60
0.3	87
0.3	91
0.2	86
0.9	56
0.3	60
0.4	61
0.2	86
0.1	86
1.7	76
2.3	74
0.6	56
0.5	60
2.0	78
0.3	56
0.5	56
0.8	56
0.3	60
0.4	60
3.3	60
2.5	62
2.9	47
2.2	68
4.9	60
0.9	74
1.6	74
0.2	86
3.4	66
0.8	74
4.0	60
0.1	56
0.8	56
1.6	74

Compared With Other Events

Station records per event

Station records in Heat wave in Germany and 49 other countries, 18 December 2021 to 15 January 2022 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 (this event)	3,626 records
Heat wave in United States and Mexico, 24 October to 17 November 2022	3,289 records

Every Record Set

20 of 3,626

Every record set or tied during Heat wave in Germany and 49 other countries, 18 December 2021 to 15 January 2022, in date order
Date	Station	Record	Value	Margin	Years stood	Significance
2021-12-29	Biskra	Record high minimum temperature	15.9 C (60.6 F)	2.9 C (5.2 F)	110	50 of 100 (Notable)
2021-12-29	Tortosa - Observatorio del Ebr	Record high maximum temperature	24.5 C (76.1 F)	3.5 C (6.3 F)	96	47 of 100 (Notable)
2021-12-30	Bradford	Record high maximum temperature	14.5 C (58.1 F)	2.3 C (4.1 F)	106	47 of 100 (Notable)
2021-12-30	Durham	Record high maximum temperature	13.7 C (56.7 F)	2.0 C (3.6 F)	104	46 of 100 (Notable)
2021-12-30	Uccle	Record high minimum temperature	12.1 C (53.8 F)	2.3 C (4.1 F)	100	45 of 100 (Notable)
2021-12-31	Col du Grand St-Bernard	Record high minimum temperature	2.6 C (36.7 F)	4.0 C (7.2 F)	142	48 of 100 (Notable)
2021-12-31	Dublin Phoenix Park	Record high minimum temperature	11.7 C (53.1 F)	2.3 C (4.1 F)	104	47 of 100 (Notable)
2021-12-31	Gorlitz	Record high maximum temperature	14.3 C (57.7 F)	3.4 C (6.1 F)	120	47 of 100 (Notable)
2021-12-31	Kleve	Record high minimum temperature	11.8 C (53.2 F)	4.1 C (7.4 F)	96	47 of 100 (Notable)
2021-12-31	Stiege	Record high minimum temperature	9.5 C (49.1 F)	1.2 C (2.2 F)	87	47 of 100 (Notable)
2021-12-31	Brocken	Record high minimum temperature	5.1 C (41.2 F)	2.6 C (4.7 F)	120	46 of 100 (Notable)
2021-12-31	Uccle	Record high minimum temperature	11.5 C (52.7 F)	2.5 C (4.5 F)	120	45 of 100 (Notable)
2022-01-01	Marnitz	Record high minimum temperature	10.5 C (50.9 F)	1.7 C (3.1 F)	100	53 of 100 (Notable)
2022-01-01	Bremen-Seefahrtschule	Record high minimum temperature	11.0 C (51.8 F)	0.7 C (1.3 F)	100	51 of 100 (Notable)
2022-01-01	Kirchdorf/Poel	Record high minimum temperature	9.1 C (48.4 F)	0.9 C (1.6 F)	100	51 of 100 (Notable)
2022-01-01	Oxford	Record high minimum temperature	11.6 C (52.9 F)	0.8 C (1.4 F)	153	51 of 100 (Notable)
2022-01-01	Cet Central England	Record high minimum temperature	10.9 C (51.6 F)	0.4 C (0.7 F)	89	47 of 100 (Notable)
2022-01-01	Den Helder-1	Record high maximum temperature	13.6 C (56.5 F)	2.5 C (4.5 F)	106	46 of 100 (Notable)
2022-01-01	San Sebastian - Igueldo	Record high minimum temperature	16.6 C (61.9 F)	0.8 C (1.4 F)	82	46 of 100 (Notable)
2022-01-04	Basel Binningen	Record high maximum temperature	18.7 C (65.7 F)	4.2 C (7.6 F)	96	47 of 100 (Notable)

The daily ledgers keep a limited number of records per day, so this list has 20 of the 3,626 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 2026-10-17. 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
1.7	100
0.7	100
0.9	100
0.8	153
2.9	110
4.0	142
2.3	104
3.4	120
4.1	96
1.2	87
3.5	96
4.2	96
0.4	89
2.3	106
2.6	120
2.5	106
0.8	82
2.0	104
2.3	100
2.5	120
1.9	100
2.8	121
2.2	163
2.4	144
2.5	100
1.9	102
2.3	170
2.0	100
1.7	100
2.3	144
2.6	120
3.3	96
0.9	108
2.1	120
3.3	95
0.2	85
1.6	100
1.4	106
3.2	84
1.4	100
1.1	100
1.6	120
1.7	100
1.6	138
1.8	100
2.0	100
1.6	120
1.7	102
1.9	100
1.7	120
2.6	96
2.1	121
1.3	103
0.8	145
2.1	87
2.4	87
1.5	161
1.3	106
3.0	87
1.3	100
2.3	96
2.1	122
1.8	107
1.2	100
2.0	87
1.3	100
1.1	120
1.3	100
1.6	120
1.3	100
1.3	138
1.5	106
1.6	138
1.3	120
1.0	138
1.3	100
1.1	100
1.6	99
7.5	40
0.9	100
1.2	100
0.8	100
1.9	50
1.2	100
1.3	142
1.0	100
0.9	104
0.7	121
3.2	62
0.4	110
1.7	96
1.4	96
0.6	100
0.5	106
1.5	96
1.0	120
1.5	96
1.0	100
0.9	144
0.6	138
0.7	138
1.9	63
0.5	144
0.7	104
1.3	96
0.9	100
0.9	60
0.3	121
0.6	96
0.5	120
0.4	100
1.2	96
1.0	96
1.2	96
0.4	120
3.2	76
2.7	86
0.2	196
0.3	100
0.3	73
0.3	94
0.7	96
2.0	84
1.5	87
0.7	96
0.6	96
0.8	96
0.7	96
0.5	96
2.8	87
0.5	96
0.7	96
2.0	86
1.1	91
0.8	96
0.9	96
0.4	96
0.5	96
0.9	96
0.9	96
1.1	84
0.4	96
0.4	96
0.7	87
0.1	96
0.1	96
0.4	96
0.5	68
0.1	60
0.1	60
3.9	62
0.1	96
1.2	60
1.1	60
0.9	60
1.1	60
1.2	60
3.8	32
0.1	90
0.2	95
3.7	62
1.9	50
0.1	87
0.1	60
0.9	60
1.6	41
2.6	76
6.4	60
0.3	87
0.3	91
0.2	86
0.9	56
0.3	60
0.4	61
0.2	86
0.1	86
1.7	76
2.3	74
0.6	56
0.5	60
2.0	78
0.3	56
0.5	56
0.8	56
0.3	60
0.4	60
3.3	60
2.5	62
2.9	47
2.2	68
4.9	60
0.9	74
1.6	74
0.2	86
3.4	66
0.8	74
4.0	60
0.1	56
0.8	56
1.6	74

Margin (C)	Years the old record stood
1.7	100
0.7	100
0.9	100
0.8	153
2.9	110
4.0	142
2.3	104
3.4	120
4.1	96
1.2	87
3.5	96
4.2	96
0.4	89
2.3	106
2.6	120
2.5	106
0.8	82
2.0	104
2.3	100
2.5	120
1.9	100
2.8	121
2.2	163
2.4	144
2.5	100
1.9	102
2.3	170
2.0	100
1.7	100
2.3	144
2.6	120
3.3	96
0.9	108
2.1	120
3.3	95
0.2	85
1.6	100
1.4	106
3.2	84
1.4	100
1.1	100
1.6	120
1.7	100
1.6	138
1.8	100
2.0	100
1.6	120
1.7	102
1.9	100
1.7	120
2.6	96
2.1	121
1.3	103
0.8	145
2.1	87
2.4	87
1.5	161
1.3	106
3.0	87
1.3	100
2.3	96
2.1	122
1.8	107
1.2	100
2.0	87
1.3	100
1.1	120
1.3	100
1.6	120
1.3	100
1.3	138
1.5	106
1.6	138
1.3	120
1.0	138
1.3	100
1.1	100
1.6	99
7.5	40
0.9	100
1.2	100
0.8	100
1.9	50
1.2	100
1.3	142
1.0	100
0.9	104
0.7	121
3.2	62
0.4	110
1.7	96
1.4	96
0.6	100
0.5	106
1.5	96
1.0	120
1.5	96
1.0	100
0.9	144
0.6	138
0.7	138
1.9	63
0.5	144
0.7	104
1.3	96
0.9	100
0.9	60
0.3	121
0.6	96
0.5	120
0.4	100
1.2	96
1.0	96
1.2	96
0.4	120
3.2	76
2.7	86
0.2	196
0.3	100
0.3	73
0.3	94
0.7	96
2.0	84
1.5	87
0.7	96
0.6	96
0.8	96
0.7	96
0.5	96
2.8	87
0.5	96
0.7	96
2.0	86
1.1	91
0.8	96
0.9	96
0.4	96
0.5	96
0.9	96
0.9	96
1.1	84
0.4	96
0.4	96
0.7	87
0.1	96
0.1	96
0.4	96
0.5	68
0.1	60
0.1	60
3.9	62
0.1	96
1.2	60
1.1	60
0.9	60
1.1	60
1.2	60
3.8	32
0.1	90
0.2	95
3.7	62
1.9	50
0.1	87
0.1	60
0.9	60
1.6	41
2.6	76
6.4	60
0.3	87
0.3	91
0.2	86
0.9	56
0.3	60
0.4	61
0.2	86
0.1	86
1.7	76
2.3	74
0.6	56
0.5	60
2.0	78
0.3	56
0.5	56
0.8	56
0.3	60
0.4	60
3.3	60
2.5	62
2.9	47
2.2	68
4.9	60
0.9	74
1.6	74
0.2	86
3.4	66
0.8	74
4.0	60
0.1	56
0.8	56
1.6	74