The climate of Groningen, the main city in the north of the Netherlands, is
, humid and rainy, influenced by currents from the Atlantic and the North Sea, with cold, gray winters and mild or pleasantly warm summers.
The city is located about 20 km (12 mi) away from the coast and 40 km (25 mi) from the German border.
of the coldest month (January) is of 2.5 °C (37 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 17.5 °C (63 °F).
, from December to February, is not very cold for the latitude, but 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.
Sometimes, there can be cold spells, in which temperatures can drop as low as -10 °C (14 °F) or even 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 -23 °C (-9.5 °F), set in February 1956. More recently, the temperature dropped to -19.5 °C (-3 °F) in January 1997 and in February 2012.
Even in spring, until April or the first half of May, there is often cold and unstable weather. In April, there may still be some snow showers.
, from June to August, the temperatures are generally pleasant and lend themselves to outdoor activities, although there are cool and rainy periods, and sometimes thunderstorms can break out.
At times, hot periods can occur, generally of short duration, which in recent years are becoming more frequent due to global warming, and in which the temperature can exceed 30 °C (86 °F). On the hottest days of the year, the temperature typically reaches 33 °C (91.5 °F). The heat record is 37 °C (98.5 °F), set in July 2019.
to visit Groningen runs from mid-May to mid-September, since it is the warmest and sunniest period of the year. Sometimes, it can be hot in July and August, while in other circumstances, 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.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January, the coldest month of the year, is generally a cold month. The average temperature is of
2.6 °C, with a minimum of
0.1 °C and a maximum of
5.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-8 °C. However, it dropped to
-19.6 °C in January 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
11.5 °C. However, it reached
14.5 °C in January 1999.
Precipitation amounts to
72.7 mm, distributed over 13 days.
The day lasts on average 8 hours and 10 minutes.
There are on average 2 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 24% of the time.
The average humidity is 89%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
18.2 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
5.9 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
February is generally a cold month. The average temperature is of
3 °C, with a minimum of
-0.1 °C and a maximum of
6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-7.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-19.5 °C in February 2012.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
12 °C. However, it reached
18.9 °C in February 2019.
Precipitation amounts to
54.7 mm, distributed over 11 days.
The day lasts on average 9 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 87%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
17.3 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
4.7 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
March is generally a quite cold month. The average temperature is of
5.4 °C, with a minimum of
1.4 °C and a maximum of
9.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-4.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-18.4 °C in March 2005.
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
54.1 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 37% of the time.
The average humidity is 82%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
17 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
5 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
April is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
9 °C, with a minimum of
3.7 °C and a maximum of
14.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-3 °C. However, it dropped to
-5.8 °C in April 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
23 °C. However, it reached
28.8 °C in April 2007.
Precipitation amounts to
41.3 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 5 minutes.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 45% of the time.
The average humidity is 76%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
14.6 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
7.2 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
May is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
12.3 °C, with a minimum of
7 °C and a maximum of
17.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
0.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-3.2 °C in May 2011.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
26.5 °C. However, it reached
30.7 °C in May 2018.
Precipitation amounts to
57.9 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 15 hours and 55 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 44% of the time.
The average humidity is 75%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
14 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
10.7 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
June is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
15.2 °C, with a minimum of
9.9 °C and a maximum of
20.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
4 °C. However, it dropped to
1 °C in June 1991.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
29.5 °C. However, it reached
33.5 °C in June 2019.
Precipitation amounts to
65 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 16 hours and 55 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 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 39% of the time.
The average humidity is 77%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
13.4 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
14.2 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
July, the warmest month of the year, is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
17.4 °C, with a minimum of
12.2 °C and a maximum of
22.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
7 °C. However, it dropped to
3.7 °C in July 2002.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
31 °C. However, it reached
36.9 °C in July 2019.
Precipitation amounts to
85 mm, distributed over 12 days.
The day lasts on average 16 hours and 20 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 42% of the time.
The average humidity is 78%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
12.6 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
16.9 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
August is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
17.2 °C, with a minimum of
11.9 °C and a maximum of
22.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
6.5 °C. However, it dropped to
4 °C in August 1995.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
31 °C. However, it reached
35.4 °C in August 2018.
Precipitation amounts to
77.8 mm, distributed over 12 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 40 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 43% of the time.
The average humidity is 80%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
12.1 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
18.2 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
September is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
14.2 °C, with a minimum of
9.4 °C and a maximum of
19 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
4 °C. However, it dropped to
1 °C in September 2012.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
25 °C. However, it reached
30.5 °C in September 2016.
Precipitation amounts to
75.4 mm, distributed over 11 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 35 minutes.
There are on average 5 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
12.5 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
17 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
October is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
10.2 °C, with a minimum of
6.3 °C and a maximum of
14.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-0.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-6.4 °C in October 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
20.5 °C. However, it reached
26.5 °C in October 2018.
Precipitation amounts to
71.4 mm, distributed over 12 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 3.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 35% of the time.
The average humidity is 87%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
14.3 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
14.5 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
November is generally a quite cold month. The average temperature is of
6.1 °C, with a minimum of
3.2 °C and a maximum of
9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-3.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-10.6 °C in November 1993.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
14.5 °C. However, it reached
18 °C in November 2014.
Precipitation amounts to
70 mm, distributed over 13 days.
The day lasts on average 8 hours and 35 minutes.
There are on average 2 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 25% of the time.
The average humidity is 91%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
14.7 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
11.3 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
December is generally a cold month. The average temperature is of
3.4 °C, with a minimum of
0.8 °C and a maximum of
5.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
-7 °C. However, it dropped to
-13.5 °C in December 1996.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
12 °C. However, it reached
14.5 °C in December 2015.
Precipitation amounts to
79.4 mm, distributed over 14 days.
The day lasts on average 7 hours and 35 minutes. So the days are short. 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 24% of the time.
The average humidity is 91%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
17 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
8.3 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.