Europe experienced a significant meteorological shift in late September 2025, transitioning from an extended period of summer-like warmth to cooler, wetter autumn conditions. This change marked the end of an unseasonably warm spell that had persisted across the continent.
The preceding weeks saw record-breaking temperatures, with September 20th recording a high of 32.6°C in Huy-Pabstorf, effectively concluding a notable heatwave. The unusual warmth extended to overnight temperatures, with Bad Harzburg recording its warmest September night since 1936, reaching 21.3°C. Many other German cities also reported their warmest September nights in decades.
By September 22nd, a cooling trend began to affect northwestern and northern Europe, accompanied by increased cloud cover and precipitation, particularly along the North Sea coast. Southern Germany and Brandenburg also saw rainfall, with daytime temperatures dropping to between 11°C and 17°C, and even lower in mountainous areas. This unsettled weather pattern, characterized by widespread rain and temperatures struggling to reach double digits, continued through the week. While the north saw some improvement with clearer skies by the latter half of the week, southern regions continued to experience rainfall.
Looking ahead, forecasts for Autumn 2025 indicated a mild to warm start, especially in September, transitioning to cooler and more unsettled conditions into November. Southern and Central Europe, in particular, were expected to face challenging conditions with precipitation potentially up to 20% below normal through autumn, impacting water-dependent crops and winter crop establishment. Precipitation was anticipated to be above normal in much of Northern and parts of Central Europe, especially in October and November. The Mediterranean storm season was projected to become active from October onward, with the potential for late-season blocking leading to significant early-winter cold spells in Eastern Europe.