How are Germany's winters? Pretty cold?

Question

I live in Hawaii and attend the University of Hawaii... I would like to study abroad in Germany and at first I was going to go during the summer, but I really want to experience a winter (I dislike how hot and sunny it gets here in Hawaii - ironic, considering I've lived here my whole life lol) So in the months between August and December is it super cold? Like would I be able to comfortably go sight seeing on the weekends?

And also, this is a bit off the topic, but I'll just throw it in to save a question...

This might sound odd, but.... would I feel extremely out of place in like Berlin, Germany being of Asian nationality? Is it diverse in race? It's just that living in Hawaii, I'm so used to the diversity of races here.

Thank you~

oh, and also, are the summer's really hot/sunny/humid?

Answer 1

hehe vee germans have some of zhee coldest wintas.  dats why vee have so much boty fat. ahaha ahaha a ha

Answer 2

Hey dear. Regarding the cold, in southern and eastern parts of the country (those relatively far from the sea) it can get really cold in winter. The closer you get to the North Sea, the warmer the winters are. In maritime regions the temperatures haven't dropped below 23F for years. Further south, however, it can reach 10F to -5F occasionally. (It's just cold...not really unbearably cold)

The summers got nothing on your summers in Hawaii obviously, but they're sunny and with 80-90F comparatively hot. (For us northern people...)

About racial diversity in Berlin and Germany in general. Yes, you'll find people from everywhere in the world in Germany/Berlin. Asian people do definitely not stand out, neither do any other races. It's like asking whether you'd stand out as a foreigner in LA or NYC. It's just not gonna happen ;-)

Hope you're gon' have a pleasant time-- should you decide to come.

Answer 3

I've lived there so it is around freezing in Germany in the winter.  There's snow and lakes freeze over.  They last around 1.5 months but the fall and spring are still cold.  In summer, there's one week that's REALLY hot, humid, and sunny, and there's usually no AC so it feels worse.   By the way, Germany isn't exactly diverse in races.

Answer 4

I lived in Berlin for seven years, and their winters are not really cold. I'm from Bavaria, where we have much colder winters. AUgust, in Germany, is "high summer", it's mostly the hottest month of the year. November to Februar are the coldest ones, with January being really cold in the mountains, but...: Berlin HAS NO mountains. The city is rather agreeable, and you'll quite rarely see snow.

I now live in the Bavarian mountains, and I know many people from foreign countries. Most of them don't like cold weather, but they all want to see and touch real snow. -- Now, I can't promise that you'll experience snow in a German winter, but in most regions of Germany it will be snowing.

German summers aren't hot. No matter what my fellow Germans say: Temperatures rarely rise above 27°C, which is lukewarm to me, but to many of my fellow citizens, it is "hot". "Summernights" can get as cold as 12°C, which is far from hot. -- I liked the summer of 2003, when temperatures were above 40°C for some days. -- You know, they're talking about catastrophes here when temperatures are above 30°C for two days or longer.

Being of Asian nationality will in no way feel out of place in any larger German city, and not at all in Berlin. In smaller towns, you might be looked upon by curious people, but there should usually no problem. German people are usually helpful and well-educated, and most of us speak some sort of English. If you're with friends, you're absolutely safe, if not, you're not in more danger than anywhere else in the world. German racism makes for good headlines in the papers, but the majority of us isn't racist at all.

Answer 5

yes sort of like Minnesota

Answer 6

Umm, Its pretty cold but when you have a well, 'Hit' its kind of bit of both.

Answer 7

The winters will definitely feel colder to you. We used to live in Hawaii for 3 years (Kapahulu) and when we flew back in the winter time to visit our relatives it was pretty darn cold, even though a lot of Germans find that the winters are getting milder and milder. Between the months of August to December I think will be a perfect time. August, September and October will be very beautiful. November and December can be cold. It depends also what area you are going to stay at.

I am from Duesseldorf and last winter was very, very mild. We did not really drop into the the minus degrees.

Bring long pants, sweaters and a winter jacket and also hat & gloves, because the winter will feel probably more extreme to you because your body has not experienced it.

My husband who is from Hawaii says that we have a "wet-cold" winter. I personally do not experience it like that. So the perpective is slightly different.

We have lots of Asian people here in Duesseldorf. Actually lots of Japanese people. So, if you decide to be in this region i can say that you won't stand out as an Asian person.

Answer 8

I'm from Germany (born and raised there) and now I live in Hawaii :) Have been here for 5 years already. So regarding the winter weather in Germany, it's not as bad as central Canada or Scandinavia, for example. And on some hot summer days, it actually gets warmer in Germany than here in Hawaii. In August it's still very warm and perfect weather do to outdoor swimming (lakes, pools, ocean). In September it's often times still warm as well. In October it gets colder, but still pleasant. You'll need a light jacket on most days, but you won't freeze. The leaves on the trees will turn colorful and the air is nice and crispy in the mornings and evenings. Towards the middle or end of the month, it gets colder and colder. Then suddenly is a shift, the trees lose all their leaves and it rains more. When November arrives, it is usually less sunny and it rains more. When it's cold enough, there can be some first snowflakes as well. But each year is different. I have experienced years without any snow until well into December or even January. In other years there was plenty of snow in November. So it all depends. So in November and December the sky is often times cloudy, it rains more and sometimes it snows. The temperatures are usually between 15 and 40 F. The coldest I have seen the temperatures go in Germany were about minus 4 F (but that doesn't happen too often). So just bring some warm clothes and you'll enjoy the difference.

Now to your question if Berlin is an international city. Yes it is. It's very diverse and you'll find all kinds of races there - Asian, African, American, etc.

Answer 9

Thanks to climate change, our winters are not as cold as decades ago. Actually the german winter is wet and ugly and in most parts of germany without any snow. But it always depends on the year. Sometimes there are cold winters with snow, but the last years there was no winter that deserved its name.

In southern germany, in the alps, there is of course snow.