Denmark - Climate

Denmark has a mild climate but a changeable weather, due to its position in the temperate zone where air masses from the Atlantic, the Arctic, and eastern Europe come together. The west coast facing the rough and inospitable North Sea has a mitigated climate thanks to the warm Gulf Stream.

There is little fluctuation between day and night temperatures, but sudden changes in wind direction cause considerable day-to-day temperature changes.

Temperature change sharply from one day to the next, but there is one steady factor: rain, which falls evenly throughout the year, with an annual average of approximately 61 cm (24 in).

The coldest month is February, with the average temperature of 0°C (32°F). Snow mostly fall in the month of January which makes a white Christmas in Denmark rare. Freezing days annually range from 70 on the west coast to 120 in the interior.
In July, the warmest month, the temperature lies around 17°C (63°F).

The unpredictablility of the weather offers Danes, like all Scandinavians (who often speak about the weather), a hot topic for conversation.

The general attitude to the weather in Scandinavia is summed up by the famous phrase: "The problem is not the weather, it's the clothes you wear!"

Weather forecast

For Denmark weather forecast in English and German, provided by the Danmarks Meteorologiske Institut (Danish Meteorological Institute), click here.  In the Danish part of the DMI internet site you can find forecasts and observations for Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, climate information as well as radar and satellite images.