Luxembourg - The climate in short
Luxembourg, a small country between Belgium, France and Germany, has a moderately continental climate, with cold winters and mild summers.
The influence of the Atlantic Ocean is evident, but the altitude, which varies between 250 meters (800 feet) in the far south and 500 meters (1,650 feet) in the north, makes it a bit colder than the plains, with more frequent snowfalls in winter.
Precipitation (rain or snow) is quite frequent and relatively abundant, amounting to around 700 millimeters (27.5 inches) per year in the south-east and around 900 mm (35 in) in the south-west, while in the northern hilly area, it reaches 1,000 mm (40 in).
The climate in detail
The seasons
Winter, from December to February, is cold and dull. In the capital, the average temperature in January and February is around freezing (0 °C or 32 °F) or slightly higher.
When Atlantic currents become more intense, there can be mild days, though cloudy and windy.
On the contrary, under the influence of
cold currents from eastern Europe, the temperature can dip well below freezing. In the capital, the cold record is -20.2 °C (-4.4 °F), set in February 1956. From 2001 to 2020, the lowest temperature was -15 °C (5 °F), recorded in February 2012.
Spring, from March to May, is initially cold, and then becomes gradually cool and later mild: in the capital, the maximum temperatures are around 14 °C (57 °F) in April and around 18 °C (64 °F) in May. However, the weather is unstable, and while until mid-May it can still be cold, in the second half of May, on sunny days, thunderstorms can erupt in the afternoon.
Summer, from June to August, is mild or pleasantly warm, with cool nights and pleasant days: the minimum temperature in July hovers around 14 °C (57 °F) and the maximum around 24 °C (75 °F).
There is no shortage of cool and rainy days, when the country is affected by Atlantic fronts, but they alternate with sunny and warmer days.
Sometimes there may be short,
very hot periods, which are becoming more frequent due to global warming. The heat record is 39 °C (102 °F), set in July 2019. In the hot month of August 2003, the temperature had reached 38 °C (100 °F).
In
Autumn, from September to November, the weather is often gray, wet and rainy, especially in the second part, and windy at times.
Luxembourg
Here are the average temperatures in the capital city, which is located in the south, at about 300 meters (1,000 feet) above sea level.
Luxembourg - Average temperatures (1991-2020) | Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
|---|
| January | -1 | 3.9 | 1.4 | 30 | 39 | 34.6 |
|---|
| February | -0.7 | 5.3 | 2.3 | 31 | 42 | 36.2 |
|---|
| March | 2 | 9.8 | 5.9 | 36 | 50 | 42.7 |
|---|
| April | 5.1 | 14.4 | 9.7 | 41 | 58 | 49.5 |
|---|
| May | 8.7 | 18.4 | 13.5 | 48 | 65 | 56.4 |
|---|
| June | 11.8 | 21.7 | 16.8 | 53 | 71 | 62.2 |
|---|
| July | 13.8 | 23.9 | 18.9 | 57 | 75 | 66 |
|---|
| August | 13.6 | 23.5 | 18.6 | 57 | 74 | 65.4 |
|---|
| September | 10.2 | 19 | 14.6 | 50 | 66 | 58.3 |
|---|
| October | 6.6 | 13.5 | 10 | 44 | 56 | 50.1 |
|---|
| November | 2.7 | 7.8 | 5.3 | 37 | 46 | 41.5 |
|---|
| December | -0.1 | 4.6 | 2.3 | 32 | 40 | 36.1 |
|---|
| Year | 6.1 | 13.9 | 9.95 | 43 | 57 | 50 |
|---|
In the capital, precipitation amounts to 900 mm (35 in) per year. Here is the average precipitation.
Luxembourg - Average precipitation| Month | Millimeters | Inches | Days |
|---|
| January | 75 | 3 | 12 |
|---|
| February | 60 | 2.4 | 10 |
|---|
| March | 70 | 2.8 | 12 |
|---|
| April | 60 | 2.4 | 10 |
|---|
| May | 77 | 3 | 11 |
|---|
| June | 80 | 3.1 | 11 |
|---|
| July | 70 | 2.8 | 10 |
|---|
| August | 75 | 3 | 10 |
|---|
| September | 75 | 3 | 9 |
|---|
| October | 85 | 3.3 | 11 |
|---|
| November | 75 | 3 | 12 |
|---|
| December | 85 | 3.3 | 13 |
|---|
| Year | 890 | 35 | 129 |
|---|
The amount of
sunshine is low from November to February, and it's not great in the other seasons, but it's acceptable between April and August, when there are 6/7 hours of sunshine per day on average. On average, there are around 1,600 hours of sunshine per year. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.
Luxembourg - Sunshine hours| Month | Average | Total |
|---|
January | 2 | 60 | February | 2 | 55 | March | 5 | 155 | April | 6 | 180 | May | 7 | 215 | June | 7 | 210 | July | 7 | 215 | August | 6 | 185 | September | 5 | 150 | October | 3 | 95 | November | 1 | 30 | December | 1 | 30 | Year | 4.3 | 1590 |
When to go
The best time to visit Luxembourg runs from
mid-May to mid-September, since it is the mildest of the year. In this period, the temperature is generally pleasant and the weather is variable, the sun alternates with cloudy skies, and also with rains and thunderstorms.
By the second half of September, the weather starts to be more cool and cloudy, but in this period, forests show the bright colors of autumn.
What to pack
In
winter: bring warm clothing, a sweater, a down jacket, and a raincoat or umbrella.
In
summer: bring clothes for spring and autumn, t-shirts, but also long pants, a jacket, a sweatshirt or sweater for the evening and for cooler days, and a raincoat or umbrella.
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