around 28-30 on average, but will often rise beyond 35°C (95°F) in midsummer. A few single evening thunderstorms are usually the only measurable precipitation. With almost 300 sunshine hours on average, July is also the sunniest month of the year. Nights can stay pleasant, although the rate of nights with lows up to 26°C (78°F) are increasing significantly in the recent years. Autumn starts very warm or even hot in September and cools down to typical winter temperatures for the region by the end of November. Precipitation levels are increasing and, due to the decreasing sunlight, the region gets affected by fog more frequently from the second part of October on. On the other hand, day temperatures will mostly stay around or above 20°C (68°F) until at least mid October (“Altweibersommer”). Nights cool down significantly during the month, but will usually remain above 10°C (50°F) until the second half of October. Winters are mostly mild, though light night frosts do occur in the coldest months. Snow is a rare event and precipitation normally falls as rain. Besides that, winters are the wettest time of the year with frequent western winds blowing from the Atlantic. Storms (“Orkane”) can create severe damage and the Neckar is often affected by floods. According to the German Meteorological Service, Heidelberg was the warmest place in Germany in 2009. With around 2,100 hours of sunshine it is also one of the sunniest of the country. History Early history Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907. Scientific dating determined his remains as the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of worship were built on the Heiligenberg, or "Holy Mountain". Both places can still be identified. In 40 AD, a fort was built and occupied by the 24th Roman cohort and the 2nd Cyrenaican cohort (CCG XXIIII and CCH II CYR). The late Roman Emperor Valentinian I, in 369 AD, built new and maintained older castra (permanent camps) and a signal tower on the bank of the Neckar. They built a wooden bridge based on stone pillars across it. The camp protected the first civilian settlements and was eventually captured by Germanic tribes. The local administrative center in Roman times was the nearby city of Lopodunum, today known as Ladenburg. Middle Ages Modern