Average weather, temperature, rainfall, sunshine hours
The climate of Zurich is
moderately continental, with cold winters and warm summers.
The city is located in the north of Switzerland, on the shores of the lake of the same name, which are located at an altitude of 400 meters (1,300 feet). The meteorological station is located in Fluntern, at an altitude of 570 meters (1,870 feet).
The
average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 0.5 °C (33 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 19 °C (66 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Zurich - Average temperatures| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|
| Min (°C) | -2 | -2 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 2 | -1 |
|---|
| Max (°C) | 3 | 5 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 19 | 14 | 7 | 4 |
|---|
| Min (°F) | 28 | 28 | 36 | 39 | 48 | 54 | 57 | 57 | 50 | 45 | 36 | 30 |
|---|
| Max (°F) | 37 | 41 | 50 | 57 | 64 | 72 | 75 | 73 | 66 | 57 | 45 | 39 |
|---|
amounts to 1,135 millimeters (44.7 inches) per year: so, it is quite abundant. It ranges from 65 mm (2.6 in) in the driest months (January, February) to 130 mm (5.1 in) in the wettest (June). In late spring and in summer, the rains are more abundant because they often occur in the form of thunderstorm.
On average, 85 cm (33.5 in) of snow fall per year (more than in the other major cities of Switzerland).
Here is the average precipitation.
Zurich - Average precipitation| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|
| Prec.(mm) | 65 | 65 | 80 | 85 | 120 | 130 | 125 | 125 | 100 | 85 | 80 | 85 | 1135 |
|---|
| Prec.(in) | 2.6 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 44.7 |
|---|
| Days | 10 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 134 |
|---|
On average, there are around 1,540
sunshine hours per year. In winter, the sky is often gray and the sun is rarely seen. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.
Zurich - Sunshine| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|
| Hours | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|---|
Best Time
The
best time to visit Zurich 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.