Climate - Heligoland (Germany)

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The climate of Heligoland (German: Helgoland) is oceanic, humid, windy and rainy, with cold, cloudy winters and cool to mild summers.
The archipelago, consisting of two small islands, is located in the North Sea, about 50 km (30 mi) north of the German coast.
The average temperature of the coldest month (February) is of 2.9 °C (37 °F), that of the warmest month (August) is of 18.3 °C (65 °F). The temperature range between night and day is reduced, and the minimum temperature exceeds freezing even in winter. Here are the average temperatures.

Precipitation amounts to 755 millimeters (29.7 inches) per year: so, it is at an intermediate level. It ranges from 35 mm (1.4 in) in the driest month (April) to 90 mm (3.5 in) in the wettest ones (August, September). Here is the average precipitation.

Although the winter is not very cold for the latitude, it is often humid, windy and rainy. There may be relatively mild periods, when Atlantic currents prevail, and other colder periods, when the temperature drops below freezing and it can snow. Because of the influence of the sea, temperatures drop below freezing less often than in the rest of Germany. On the coldest days of the year, the temperature typically reaches -4/-5 °C (23/25 °F).
Sometimes, however, there can be cold spells, in which the temperature can drop as low as -7 °C (19 °F) or below. In fact, Scandinavian high pressure systems can reverse the normal circulation and bring very cold periods, which in the past were more frequent. The cold record is -11 °C (12 °F), set in February 1956. More recently, the temperature dropped to -9 °C (16 °F) in January 1963, to -10.5 °C (13 °F) in January 1987, to -8.5 °C (16.5 °F) in February 1994 and in February 1996, to -7.5 °C (18.5 °F) in February 2012, and to -7 °C (19.5 °F) in February 2018.
In spring, temperatures slowly rise. In May, and sometimes even in early June, there can still be cold and unstable weather.
In summer, the weather is variable, with fairly frequent rains, perhaps alternating with bright spells. There can be cool days, with highs of 15/17 °C and a moderate or strong wind. However, there are also mild or pleasantly warm periods.
On the warmest days of the year, the temperature typically reaches 25 °C (77 °F). The record is 28.5 °C (83.5 °F), set in July 1994.



On average, there are around 1,775 sunshine hours per year. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

The sea temperature ranges between 5 °C (40 °F) and 18 °C (64 °F). So, it never becomes warm for swimming. Here are the average sea temperatures.

Best Time

The best time to visit Heligoland runs from June to August, since it is the warmest and sunniest period of the year. However, it can be useful to bring a sweatshirt or sweater and a light jacket.