Geneva climate
Geneva (Switzerland) has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). The average temperature over the year is 12 °C53 °F, and about 1,107 mm44 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Geneva climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 542 | −130 | 236 | 983.9 |
| Feb | 744 | −130 | 337 | 732.9 |
| Mar | 1152 | 337 | 744 | 903.5 |
| Apr | 1661 | 744 | 1152 | 753.0 |
| May | 2067 | 1051 | 1559 | 1114.4 |
| Jun | 2475 | 1559 | 2067 | 1003.9 |
| Jul | 2780 | 1762 | 2271 | 933.6 |
| Aug | 2679 | 1661 | 2170 | 993.9 |
| Sep | 2272 | 1254 | 1763 | 763.0 |
| Oct | 1864 | 847 | 1355 | 913.6 |
| Nov | 1152 | 438 | 745 | 963.8 |
| Dec | 644 | 032 | 338 | 1064.2 |
| Year | 2780 | −130 | 1253 | 1,10744 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 84% | 76% | 1.4 | 8:00 |
| Feb | 82% | 74% | 2.2 | 10:16 |
| Mar | 80% | 70% | 3.4 | 11:46 |
| Apr | 76% | 69% | 4.4 | 13:30 |
| May | 77% | 73% | 5.1 | 14:57 |
| Jun | 74% | 66% | 6.0 | 15:45 |
| Jul | 68% | 59% | 6.0 | 15:26 |
| Aug | 68% | 60% | 5.2 | 14:09 |
| Sep | 72% | 60% | 4.0 | 12:28 |
| Oct | 77% | 68% | 2.6 | 10:49 |
| Nov | 83% | 75% | 1.5 | 9:21 |
| Dec | 82% | 76% | 1.1 | 8:38 |
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 Geneva is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 27 °C80 °F and a low of 17 °C62 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 5 °C42 °F and lows −1 °C30 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 19.7 °C35.4 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,107 mm44 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is May (111 mm4.4 in), the driest is February (73 mm2.9 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 68% in August to 84% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 59%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in November to 6 km/h (4 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 8.6 hours in December to 15.8 hours in June.
Best time to visit Geneva
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June–September: average highs of 22 °C72 °F to 27 °C80 °F with 76 mm3.0 in to 100 mm3.9 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 5 °C42 °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 Geneva
- Winter (December–February) — highs 542 to 7 °C44 °F, lows −130 to 0 °C32 °F, about 92 mm3.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes, shoes with good grip, as frost is common and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1152 to 20 °C67 °F, lows 337 to 10 °C51 °F, about 92 mm3.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2475 to 27 °C80 °F, lows 1559 to 17 °C62 °F, about 97 mm3.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1152 to 22 °C72 °F, lows 438 to 12 °C54 °F, about 88 mm3.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
How Geneva compares
Compared with Lyon, about 112 km to the southwest, Geneva is on average 0.6 °C1.1 °F cooler and receives 41% more precipitation (1,107 mm44 in vs 786 mm31 in). The difference is largest in February (1.2 °C2.1 °F cooler).
Of the 6 places in Switzerland covered by World Climates, Geneva is the 2nd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 5th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Switzerland climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Besançon (France, Cfb), Villeurbanne (France, Cfa) and Ljubljana (Slovenia, Cfb).
Nearby places
- Lausanne 51 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,175 mm46 in
- Villeurbanne 109 km · 12 °C54 °F · 842 mm33 in
- Lyon 112 km · 12 °C54 °F · 786 mm31 in
- Besançon 117 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,216 mm48 in
- Grenoble 119 km · 13 °C56 °F · 857 mm34 in
- Bern 130 km · 10 °C50 °F · 1,142 mm45 in
- Dijon 151 km · 11 °C51 °F · 795 mm31 in
- Saint-Étienne 161 km · 11 °C51 °F · 695 mm27 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Geneva?
July is the warmest month in Geneva, with an average high of 27 °C (80 °F) and an average low of 17 °C (62 °F).
What is the coldest month in Geneva?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 5 °C (42 °F) and an average low of -1 °C (30 °F).
When does it rain the most in Geneva?
May is the wettest month with about 111 mm (4.4 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 73 mm (2.9 in).
What is the best time to visit Geneva?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are June–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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 850 m, while Geneva lies at about 400 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +2.9 °C5.3 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.