Berlin is not only a hot city, but a warm capital for tourists – even during Christmas and new Years

With an average temperature of 10.9 Celsius, rainfall of 510 litres per square meter, and 1,845 hours of sunshine, Berlin was the warmest, driest and sunniest state in the whole of Germany, figures released by the German Weather Service (DWD) on Wednesday show.

While this may be good news for those Berliners who like catching rays, it was part of an overall trend in Germany which demonstrates the effects of global warming.

2015 equalled the years 2000 and 2007 as the second warmest years on record since comprehensive measurements began in 1881. Only 2014 was hotter.

The year broke several temperature records too. A high of 40.3C – measured in Kitzing in Bavaria twice in the summer – was a new record high.

Meanwhile November and December 2015 were the warmest last two months of the year on record. In total ten of the months were warmer than average.

Central Germany experienced a drought which started in February and lasted until almost the end of the year, the DWD reports.

Bavaria was the coolest state in Germany in 2015. The average temperature in the southern state was 9.5C, a figure affected by the fact that the high Alpine regions of Germany all lie in the region.