27 August 2026

Photo: UHH/Lange

For the 300 m-tall NDR broadcasting mast in Hamburg-Billwerder, which is now 66 years old, the end is approaching. As a result, we also have to clear the “Hamburg Weather Mast” and dismantle our instruments and sensors. Work began today at a height of 175 m – where the boom has, for the first time in decades, been completely emptied.

Almost from the beginning, starting in the 1960s, meteorological measurements were carried out at different elevations up to 250 m. Initially, under the leadership of Prof. Harald Koschmieder and Gerhard Manier from TH Darmstadt as part of the “Three-Masts Project” (together with two other masts in Essen and Mainflingen). Later, the work was carried out by the Meteorological Institute of the University of Hamburg under Prof. Gerd Stilke, Burghard Brümmer, and currently Felix Ament.

Modern measurements with digital recording and data storage have been running since March 1995 – meaning they have been in operation for more than 30 years in total.

For the future, it is planned that we may also conduct measurements on the new transmitting mast, which has already been built in the immediate vicinity this year. The start is expected no earlier than sometime in 2027.

wettermast.uni-hamburg.de