In these lessons, we've looked at the climate crisis as well as vocabulary for different types of wind and rain in German. This week, let's look at words and phrases for talking about extreme weather. 

While many places in the world deal with hurricanes, a bad storm with high winds and terrible rain that occurs in Europe is generally called der Orkan and not der Hurrikan in German:

Im März dieses Jahres

In March of this year,

ist der Orkan Niklas über Deutschland hinweggezogen.

Hurricane Niklas passed over Germany.

Captions 5-6, Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft - Naturgefahrenreport

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In the winter, of course, it would be a snowstorm or hailstorm:

Auf dem Nachhauseweg verirrte er sich in einem

On the way home, he lost his way in a

furchtbaren Schneesturm.

terrible snowstorm.

Caption 19, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Die Schöne und das Biest

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Sturm, Hagel und Starkregen.

Storms, hail, and torrential rain.

Caption 1, Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft - Naturgefahrenreport

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Though Germany rarely has natural disasters such as earthquakes or tornados, the weather has become increasingly unstable. In particular, flooding has been a problem in recent years:
 

Überschwemmungen wie in der Region Ahr und Erft im Juli 2021 ...

Floods, such as in the Ahr and Erft region in July 2021...

Caption 23, Klimaschutz - Es geht um das Überleben der Menschheit

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Im März wurde Japan von einem gewaltigen Erdbeben,

In March Japan was ravaged by a powerful earthquake,

einer furchtbaren Flutwelle und, in der Folge,

a horrendous flood and, subsequently,

einer verheerenden Reaktorkatastrophe heimgesucht.

a devastating nuclear reactor catastrophe.

Captions 5-6, Angela Merkel - Neujahrsansprache

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Hier zum Beispiel ihre Performance bei der

Here, for example, her performance at the

Hamburger Sturmflut 1962.

Hamburg storm flood 1962.

Caption 14, heute-show - Die männliche Merkel hat Erinnerungslücken

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Around the world and in Germany, a lack of rain and high temperatures in certain months has dire circumstances as well:

Wo Dürre ist, herrscht auch geistige Dürre.

Where there is drought, there is also intellectual drought.

Caption 45, heute-show Wasserknappheit - Verkauft eure Aktien und investiert in Wasser!

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Kleines Beispiel: Stell dir einen großen Waldbrand vor.

Small example: Imagine a big forest fire.

Caption 63, heute-show - Wer ist schuld an der Klimakrise?

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Further Learning
In addition to reading the lessons linked above, you can look at the linked videos on Yabla German to learn more about extreme weather and the environment.

There are many videos on Yabla German that end with the following sentence:

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Ich verabschiede mich bis zum nächsten Mal. Tschüs!
I'll say goodbye until next time. Bye!

Caption 36, Jenny erklärt - Zeitintervalle

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Indeed, the preposition bis is most often translated as "until" when used in sentences about time. You have also likely seen von and bis zu (or ab and bis zu) used together to denote a timespan. Note the use of the dative.

Das zwölfte internationale Trickfilm-Festival in Wiesbaden

The Twelfth International Animation Festival in Wiesbaden

vom vierzehnten bis zum siebzehnten Oktober im Biebricher Schloss.

from the fourteenth until the seventeenth of October at the Biebrich Palace.

Captions 18-19, Internationales Trickfilmwochenende - im Biebricher Schloss

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In Deutschland haben Kinder ab dem Alter von drei Jahren bis zur Einschulung einen Anspruch auf...

Starting at the age of three until enrollment in school, children in Germany are entitled to...

Caption 20, Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Einbürgerungstest

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When we speak about deadlines in English, we use the preposition "by." As it turns out, this is one of many instances in which "by" is not equivalent to bei. Indeed, bis and bis zum/zur are used to express this as well. 

und die Sturmschäden werden bis zum Ende des Jahrhunderts um gut fünfzig Prozent zunehmen.

and the storm damages will increase by a good fifty percent by the end of the century.

Caption 20, Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft - Naturgefahrenreport

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Ob wir das schaffen bis zum Trainingslager, ist fraglich.

If we manage that in time for the training camp is questionable.

Caption 38, Fußball - Saisonpremiere

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Further Learning
Any time you speak about a deadline in your German class or in a real-life situation, note the use of bis or use it yourself! Examples could include... Bis wann muss die Hausarbeit abgegeben werden? (in class), Bis wann müssen wir das Zimmer geräumt haben? (at a hotel), or Bis wann muss der Bericht fertig sein? (in a meeting).

For this week, Yabla has released a video reporting on recent extreme winter weather conditions in Germany. You may have noticed that, like English, German has several words that describe different types of wind. 

The easiest to remember is “der Wind," although the German word for "the breeze" is quite similar as well: 

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Der Wind muss nur ein wenig drehen,

The wind has to just turn a little [change directions],

dann steigt die Luft an den Bergen auf.

then the air rises up the mountains.

Caption 9, Alpenseen - Kühle Schönheiten

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Die leichte, die frische und die steife Brise...

The light, the fresh and the stiff breeze...

Caption 12, Piggeldy und Frederick - Der Wind

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Die Böen, the plural of die Bö, refers to stronger wind, and can be translated as "squalls" or "gusts." 

Also lokal sind auch orkanartige Böen mit dabei.

Thus, in parts, hurricane-like gusts will also be present.

Caption 24, Wettervorhersage - Winterwetter

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The words Orkan and Hurrikan are both used to describe storms caused by traveling low pressure areas. Generally, Hurrikan will refer to tropical storms, while Orkan is a general term for a fierce storm. 

Im März diesen [sic, dieses] Jahres [Unwetter-Experte beim GDV]

In March of this year [Storm expert at GDV]

ist der Orkan Niklas über Deutschland hinweggezogen.

Hurricane Niklas passed over Germany.

Captions 5-6, Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft - Naturgefahrenreport

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However, extreme winds in Germany are relatively rare. If you ever live or study in Germany, you’re much more likely to hear this sentence:

Mach aber die Tür richtig zu, es zieht immer so! -Hm.

But close the door well, it's always so drafty! -Hm.

Caption 23, Monopoly - Geheime Tipps und Tricks

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The use of the verb ziehen ("to move") is related in this case to the word der Luftzug, or “draft of air.”

Further Learning
Watch the classic German cartoon Piggeldy und Frederick - Der Wind in its entirety, as it features many types of wind and some nice adjectives to describe them.

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You can also go onto Yabla German and look up examples with any of the following verbs, which are used to describe how wind blows: peitschen, blasen, wehen, pusten, rauschen.