At the start of the new month, Germany is set for a bout of classic 'Aprilwetter', or April weather, over the next few days. The idiom is used to describe periods of extremely changeable weather conditions, with bursts of powerful sunshine breaking into sudden showers.
Starting on Friday, Aprilwetter will bring with it soaring temperatures of more than 20C. Then temperatures will immediately drop to chilly single-digits in some areas over the weekend.
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The weather in western Germany promises to be the warmest, with Focus metereologist Jan Schenk describing Friday as "the first summer day of the year in North Rhine-Westphalia".
In Cologne, temperatures could peak as high as 25C in the midday sun, with at least 23C forecast throughout the day.
Residents of other big German cities can also make do with a light jacket on Friday: in Berlin and Hamburg, highs of around 20C are expected, with Dresden and Munich seeing seeing average temperatures of 18C and 17C respectively.
According to weather experts, the recent spell of clear blue skies and warm weather is due to a high-pressure zone moving across Germany from the west.
However, this is due to be replaced by a cold eastern front on Saturday, leading to a dramatic drop in temperatures of around 10C - particularly in the eastern states.
"High-pressure situations like the one we have at the moment lead to the so-called bathtub effect: cold air flows out on one side and is balanced out by warm air on the other," explained Schenke.
"And this time, Germany is right under the high pressure zone. That's why it's set to get cold in the east, while remaining relatively warm in the west."
Cold spell over the weekend
While some may be slapping on the sun-tan lotion on Friday, anyone packing their winter coat away will be in for a nasty shock.
On Saturday, a cold burst of polar air will send a chill across Germany, particularly in the eastern and northern regions of the country. This will bring will it frosty nights, with the mercury in the central mountains (Mittelgebirge) even sinking to -5C.
In Berlin, highs of around 20C on Friday will nosedive to temperatures of around 11C on Saturday and drop to just 6C on Sunday. The northern city of Hamburg is set for a similar trajectory.
In eastern Saxony, Dresden's average temperatures will sink from 18C on Friday to 10C on Saturday and hit lows of just 5C on Sunday, while in Munich, temperatures of 17C on Friday and Saturday will plummet to 6C on Sunday.
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Lucky residents of North Rhine-Westphalia, and elsewhere in western Germany, will see a much milder drop over the weekend.
In Cologne, highs of 23C on Friday will slip just slightly to 19C on Saturday and stay relatively comfortable at 13C on Sunday.
In Frankfurt, the mercury will also stay steady at around 22C before dropping down to 11C for the start of the coming week.
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