Die Deutsch Winter

After a very brutal, unbearably cold Winter in south-central PA last year, I am ecstatic to be living in a much more temperate climate, free from the anxiety leading up to near single-digit temperatures and icy windshields.

In Köln, the temperatures have been in the single-digits for a couple of weeks now, but in Europe, we of course use the Celsius temperature scale. So single-digits (1-9C) here ranges a relatively comfortable 34-49F. Today is a not-so-bad 6C (43F). From what I hear from my officemates, this is about as cold as it will be typically, except for a couple of days of snow.

In northern parts of Germany, such as Bremen, I've seen pictures posted by Fulbrighters excited for first snows blanketing village rooftops. In Köln, however, we have yet to see any Schnee, save for a few Schneetreiben about a month ago.

Here, Winter means Regen. It has rained almost everyday since November, and non-rainy days are typically chilly and windy and always damp. All this week there is a decent chance of rain, as was the forecast for last week and will be the forecast for next.

But a snow day may be on the horizon. A growing chance of Schneefall for Freitag.