Essen climate
Essen (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany) has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). The average temperature over the year is 10 °C50 °F, and about 843 mm33 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Essen climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 440 | −130 | 235 | 843.3 | 17 |
| Feb | 642 | −130 | 236 | 672.6 | 16 |
| Mar | 1049 | 133 | 541 | 612.4 | 11 |
| Apr | 1559 | 440 | 1049 | 451.8 | 3 |
| May | 1965 | 847 | 1356 | 652.6 | 0 |
| Jun | 2271 | 1253 | 1762 | 682.7 | 0 |
| Jul | 2475 | 1457 | 1966 | 793.1 | 0 |
| Aug | 2374 | 1356 | 1865 | 823.2 | 0 |
| Sep | 2067 | 1050 | 1558 | 622.4 | 0 |
| Oct | 1558 | 643 | 1051 | 672.6 | 1 |
| Nov | 948 | 337 | 643 | 783.1 | 5 |
| Dec | 541 | 032 | 236 | 863.4 | 14 |
| Year | 2475 | −130 | 1050 | 84333 | 68 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 93% | 77% | 0.8 | 8:19 |
| Feb | 89% | 74% | 1.4 | 9:54 |
| Mar | 84% | 69% | 2.7 | 11:42 |
| Apr | 78% | 64% | 4.2 | 13:47 |
| May | 77% | 68% | 5.0 | 15:35 |
| Jun | 76% | 71% | 5.4 | 16:36 |
| Jul | 74% | 68% | 5.2 | 16:11 |
| Aug | 75% | 67% | 4.3 | 14:35 |
| Sep | 78% | 65% | 3.2 | 12:33 |
| Oct | 85% | 70% | 1.9 | 10:33 |
| Nov | 92% | 76% | 0.9 | 8:46 |
| Dec | 94% | 78% | 0.6 | 7:52 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Essen is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 24 °C75 °F and a low of 14 °C57 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 4 °C40 °F and lows −1 °C30 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 17.2 °C30.9 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 843 mm33 in. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is December (86 mm3.4 in), the driest is April (45 mm1.8 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 74% in July to 94% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 64%) are typical of April. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 9 km/h (5 mph) in August to 13 km/h (8 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 7.9 hours in December to 16.6 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in January and February, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in February, about 11 cm).
Best time to visit Essen
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–September: average highs of 19 °C65 °F to 24 °C75 °F with 62 mm2.4 in to 82 mm3.2 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 4 °C40 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Essen
- Winter (December–February) — highs 440 to 6 °C42 °F, lows −130 to 0 °C32 °F, about 79 mm3.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1049 to 19 °C65 °F, lows 133 to 8 °C47 °F, about 57 mm2.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2271 to 24 °C75 °F, lows 1253 to 14 °C57 °F, about 76 mm3.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 948 to 20 °C67 °F, lows 337 to 10 °C50 °F, about 69 mm2.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
How Essen compares
Compared with Düsseldorf, about 31 km to the southwest, Essen is on average 0.7 °C1.3 °F cooler and receives 7% more precipitation (843 mm33 in vs 791 mm31 in). The difference is largest in July (1.2 °C2.1 °F cooler).
Of the 62 places in Germany covered by World Climates, Essen is the 24th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 10th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Germany climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Enschede (The Netherlands, Cfb), Apeldoorn (The Netherlands, Cfb) and Namur (Belgium, Cfb).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Wuppertal (pop. 360,797) and Gelsenkirchen (pop. 270,028). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Essen, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Duisburg 17 km · 10 °C50 °F · 843 mm33 in
- Düsseldorf 31 km · 11 °C51 °F · 791 mm31 in
- Solingen 32 km · 9 °C49 °F · 791 mm31 in
- Dortmund 32 km · 10 °C50 °F · 884 mm35 in
- Remscheid 33 km · 9 °C47 °F · 905 mm36 in
- Krefeld 34 km · 10 °C50 °F · 791 mm31 in
- Mönchengladbach 50 km · 11 °C51 °F · 747 mm29 in
- Bergisch Gladbach 53 km · 10 °C51 °F · 791 mm31 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Essen?
July is the warmest month in Essen, with an average high of 24 °C (75 °F) and an average low of 14 °C (57 °F).
What is the coldest month in Essen?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 4 °C (40 °F) and an average low of -1 °C (30 °F).
When does it rain the most in Essen?
December is the wettest month with about 86 mm (3.4 in) of precipitation; April is the driest with about 45 mm (1.8 in).
What is the best time to visit Essen?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May–September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.