Average weather, temperature, rainfall, sunshine hours
The climate of Neuchâtel is
moderately continental, with cold winters and warm summers.
The city is located on the shores of the lake of the same name, which are located at 430 meters (1,400 feet) above sea level.
The
winter is cold and gray. There may be relatively mild periods, when Atlantic currents prevail, and other colder periods, when the temperature drops below freezing.
Sometimes, there can be cold spells, in which temperatures can drop as low as -10 °C (14 °F) or even below. The temperature dropped to -17.5 °C (0.5 °F) in January 1985, to -12 °C (10.5 °F) in February 1986, to -16 °C (3 °F) in January 1987, to -10.5 °C (13 °F) in February 1991, to -10 °C (14 °F) in December 1996, and to -13 °C (8.5 °F) in February 2012.
In
summer, the temperatures are generally pleasant and lend themselves to outdoor activities, although sometimes there can be rains and thunderstorms.
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 32 °C (90 °F). The temperature reached 38 °C (100.5 °F) in July 2015, 36 °C (97 °F) in August 2003, 35.5 °C (96 °F) in July 2019, and 34.5 °C (94 °F) in July 1983 and 2015.
The
average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 1.3 °C (34 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 20 °C (68 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Neuchâtel - Average temperaturesMonth | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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Min (°C) | -1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
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Max (°C) | 3 | 5 | 10 | 14 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 24 | 20 | 14 | 8 | 4 |
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Min (°F) | 30 | 32 | 36 | 43 | 50 | 55 | 59 | 59 | 54 | 46 | 37 | 32 |
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Max (°F) | 37 | 41 | 50 | 57 | 66 | 72 | 77 | 75 | 68 | 57 | 46 | 39 |
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Precipitation amounts to 980 millimeters (38.6 inches) per year: so, it is at an intermediate level. It ranges from 65 mm (2.6 in) in the driest month (February) to 105 mm (4.1 in) in the wettest (August). Here is the average precipitation.
Neuchâtel - Average precipitationMonth | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
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Prec.(mm) | 70 | 65 | 70 | 70 | 90 | 85 | 85 | 105 | 95 | 90 | 75 | 90 | 980 |
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Prec.(in) | 2.8 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3 | 3.5 | 38.6 |
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Days | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 120 |
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On average, there are around 1,640
sunshine hours per year. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.
Neuchâtel - SunshineMonth | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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Hours | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
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Best Time
The
best time to visit Neuchâtel is from mid-May to mid-September, since it is the warmest and sunniest of the year. However, we cannot exclude some rain, or a bit of cool weather, or even cold, especially in May and early June.