Germany: Lights converged in the south

If the sundial were to be distributed by officials, the north of Germany would have lodged a collective complaint long ago. Discrimination is evident: some cities of the world get almost twice as much, others have to be content with the remnants. This is especially true for the people of Flensburg. There's no one to sue. The heavenly office does not accept claims, and meteorologists only confirm the egregious inequality.

In the dock is the German winter. Charge: unfair distribution of sunlight and particularly harsh treatment of northerners. After all, the usual routine of the cold season is familiar to many: you go to work at dusk, you return home already in the dark. I think the sun has taken a vacation until spring. But it turned out that not everywhere. The researchers examined the statistics for ten years and found the true geography of light inequality. The main victim was Flensburg, and the most generous solar jackpot went to Kempten.

Weather arithmetic

Travel company Fit Reisen decided to find out who in Germany gets more clear hours in winter. Initially, 200 large and medium-sized cities were considered, but only 178 were found to be sufficiently complete data from the German Weather Service. It is based on ten seasons – from 2016/17 to 2025/26, each time from October to February. Four indicators were included: hours of sunshine, the amount of solar energy reaching the earth's surface, the length of daylight and the number of days without a single solar minute. Each category was awarded up to 178 points, a total of 712. This is a rating, not a number of hours.

Northern rations

The worst was Flensburg near the Danish border: only 6 points out of 712. For five months, an average of 260 hours of sunshine is gained here - about an hour and forty minutes a day. And for about 63 days the light is not shown at all. Followed by Kiel (22 points), Neumunster (36), Lübeck (40) and Elmshorn (44). All five are from Schleswig-Holstein. The top ten outsiders also included Lüneburg, Neubrandenburg, Greifswald, Norderstedt and Hamburg. The last with 56 points was the most gloomy among cities with a population of over half a million. Here's a statistical confirmation of Hamburg's romance with rain and low clouds.

Algoya is different

In Bavarian Kempten, at the foot of the Alps, the results are almost festive: 703 points and 495 hours of sunshine over the same period. That's almost twice as much as in Flensburg! Even in the most cloudy of ten seasons, Kempten got 398 hours and the northern underdog in the clearest - just 316.

The second was Fillingen-Schwenningen (701 points). Lerrach and Munich shared the third place - 684 each. Next - Beblingen, Sindelfingen, Rosenheim, Stuttgart, Leonberg and Esslingen-on-Nekkar. Seven cities of the top ten are in Baden-Württemberg, three in Bavaria. Munich, with 468 hours, was the sunniest among cities with a population of more than half a million.

No-light record

However, the most completely cloudy days are not recorded at all near the Baltic Sea. In Ziegen (North Rhine-Westphalia), they average 67.2 per season - more than two days out of five. For comparison, the total indicator for the cities studied is about 50. No contradiction: Sigen set an anti-record on one criterion, Flensburg closed the consolidated rating on four.

Alps help

The secret to southern advantage is not just the nature of clouds. In the colder months, the daylight hours are longer: in Flensburg an average of 8 hours and 45 minutes, in Lerrach - 9 hours and 33 minutes. The difference is 48 minutes a day. In the foothills of the Alps, hills often remain above the layer of fog that has engulfed the valley. A dry warm wind hair dryer sometimes disperses the clouds. But the ranking describes the past decade, not predicting the current winter. How many clear days will fall to a particular city, no points guarantee.

Mandra or diagnosis?

Lack of daylight can disrupt the usual biological rhythms, affect sleep and cheerfulness. In addition, in winter, we often walk and move less, which also affects our health. And yet the usual blues after a rainy week are not necessarily seasonal depression. If depression, loss of interest in usual activities and sleep problems are delayed, interfere with work and communicate, you should consult a doctor. The reason may not be the weather at all.

Stay awake

The most affordable way to get more daylight is to go out more often. Even when cloudy, it is usually much lighter than at home. A lunch walk, physical activity, and regular sleep patterns make it easier to tolerate seasonal lethargy. With seasonal depression, light therapy may be used, but it is better to discuss it with a specialist. With vitamin D, too, you should not experiment with high doses: the need for admission is assessed individually. You cannot order a clear sky with home delivery. But you can not miss a rare weather watch. Winter already takes a lot of light from us - there is no need to voluntarily give it the rest of the day.

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