The climate of Dunkirk (Dunkerque), the northernmost city in France, is
, generally cool and wet, rainy and windy all year round, but especially in autumn and winter.
The city is located in the extreme north of France, in the North Department, in the Hauts-de-France region. We are in the small portion of France washed by the North Sea. A short distance away is the Belgian border.
Due to its position exposed to both westerly and northerly winds, the city is particularly windy.
is a bit milder than in the rest of northern France, because ocean currents prevail. On the other hand, the sky is often cloudy, the humidity is high and there are periods when the wind blows moderate or strong. Rainfall is frequent.
The wind from the North Sea brings cold and unstable weather, though not freezing.
Cold waves from eastern Europe are a little less intense than in Paris and in the interior of France. Generally, the temperature does not drop below -6/-7 °C (19/21 °F) on the coldest days of the year, although it can sometimes drop to lower values. The cold record, -18 °C (-0.5 °F), was set back in February 1929.
, temperatures are mild or cool. It can also rain, but less often than in winter.
Hot days are rare: the temperature hardly reaches 25 °C (77 °F), and in the past, it used to reach a maximum of 28/29 °C (82/84 °F) on the warmest days of the year. Dunkirk is quite sheltered from the heat waves that have been hitting France in recent decades due to global warming. However, short hot periods, usually just a day or two, cannot be ruled out. The highest record is 41.3 °C (106.3 °F) and was set during the short but exceptional heat wave of July 2019.
to visit Dunkirk runs from mid-May to mid-September, since it is the mildest and sunniest period of the year. Sometimes, nights can be cool or even a little cold even in these months, so it can be useful to bring a sweatshirt or sweater and a light jacket for the evening.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January, the coldest month of the year, is generally a quite cold month. The average temperature is of
5.5 °C, with a minimum of
3.6 °C and a maximum of
7.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-3.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-11.5 °C in January 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
13 °C. However, it reached
15 °C in January 2007.
Precipitation amounts to
55 mm, distributed over 11 days.
The day lasts on average 8 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 2 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 22% of the time.
The average humidity is 89%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
20 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
7.7 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
February is generally a quite cold month. The average temperature is of
5.8 °C, with a minimum of
3.7 °C and a maximum of
7.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-2.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-11.6 °C in February 1991.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
13.5 °C. However, it reached
18.6 °C in February 2004.
Precipitation amounts to
40 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 5 minutes.
There are on average 3.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 33% of the time.
The average humidity is 86%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
20 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
6.8 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
March is generally a quite mild month. The average temperature is of
7.8 °C, with a minimum of
5.4 °C and a maximum of
10.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
0.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-5.6 °C in March 2018.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
17 °C. However, it reached
22.7 °C in March 2017.
Precipitation amounts to
45 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 4.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 38% of the time.
The average humidity is 83%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
19 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
7 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
April is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
10.2 °C, with a minimum of
7.4 °C and a maximum of
13.1 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
2.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-1.5 °C in April 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
21.5 °C. However, it reached
26.6 °C in April 2011.
Precipitation amounts to
45 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 55 minutes.
There are on average 6 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 43% of the time.
The average humidity is 79%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
20 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
8.6 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
May is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
13.3 °C, with a minimum of
10.6 °C and a maximum of
16 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
6 °C. However, it dropped to
2.5 °C in May 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
25 °C. However, it reached
32.3 °C in May 2005.
Precipitation amounts to
50 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 35 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 7.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 47% of the time.
The average humidity is 80%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
18 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
11 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
June is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
16.2 °C, with a minimum of
13.4 °C and a maximum of
18.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
9.5 °C. However, it dropped to
6.8 °C in June 1991.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
28 °C. However, it reached
34.4 °C in June 2011.
Precipitation amounts to
55 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 16 hours and 30 minutes. So the days are long. June 21, the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 8 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 47% of the time.
The average humidity is 82%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
16 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
13.7 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
July is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
18.4 °C, with a minimum of
15.5 °C and a maximum of
21.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
12 °C. However, it dropped to
9.5 °C in July 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
29.5 °C. However, it reached
41.3 °C in July 2019.
Precipitation amounts to
60 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 16 hours and 0 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 7.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 47% of the time.
The average humidity is 81%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
16 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
16.2 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
August, the warmest month of the year, is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
18.8 °C, with a minimum of
15.9 °C and a maximum of
21.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
12 °C. However, it dropped to
7.5 °C in August 2000.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
30 °C. However, it reached
35.1 °C in August 2016.
Precipitation amounts to
60 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 25 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 8 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 54% of the time.
The average humidity is 81%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
16 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
17.8 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
September is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
16.5 °C, with a minimum of
13.7 °C and a maximum of
19.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
9.5 °C. However, it dropped to
7.4 °C in September 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
26 °C. However, it reached
32.9 °C in September 2016.
Precipitation amounts to
65 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 35 minutes.
There are on average 5.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 45% of the time.
The average humidity is 82%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
16 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
17.4 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
October is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
13 °C, with a minimum of
10.5 °C and a maximum of
15.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
5 °C. However, it dropped to
-0.3 °C in October 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
21.5 °C. However, it reached
26.7 °C in October 2011.
Precipitation amounts to
80 mm, distributed over 12 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 35 minutes.
There are on average 4 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 40% of the time.
The average humidity is 84%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
17 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
15.3 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
November is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
9 °C, with a minimum of
7.1 °C and a maximum of
11 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
1 °C. However, it dropped to
-5.2 °C in November 1998.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
16.5 °C. However, it reached
20.1 °C in November 2015.
Precipitation amounts to
75 mm, distributed over 13 days.
The day lasts on average 8 hours and 55 minutes.
There are on average 3 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 31% of the time.
The average humidity is 88%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
20 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
12.3 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
December is generally a quite cold month. The average temperature is of
6.2 °C, with a minimum of
4.4 °C and a maximum of
8.1 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-2 °C. However, it dropped to
-6.7 °C in December 2010.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
13.5 °C. However, it reached
15.8 °C in December 2015.
Precipitation amounts to
65 mm, distributed over 12 days.
The day lasts on average 8 hours and 0 minutes. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 2 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 22% of the time.
The average humidity is 89%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
20 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
9.6 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.