Climate change in the Fichtel Mountains – an example low mountain range in Germany

The effects of climate change on a German low mountain range are examined using the example of the Fichtel Mountains. The increase in annual mean air temperature corresponds to that measured at lower-lying stations in the surrounding area, which is 0.5 K per decade. There are hardly any changes in annual precipitation. The increase in winter temperatures is delayed, so that snow cover can still form at times at altitudes above 500 m. However, the number of days with snow cover is decreasing significantly with 12 days per decade, and periods with continuous snow cover are becoming shorter and shorter. Snow is only guaranteed above 900–1000 m a.s.l. This has serious consequences for winter sports. All details are comprehensively documented by homogenized data from meteorological measuring stations in the region from 1950 to 2024.