Grytviken climate
Grytviken (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands) has a tundra climate (Köppen ET). The average temperature over the year is 1 °C34 °F, and about 1,093 mm43 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Grytviken climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 440 | 236 | 338 | 1084.3 | 4 |
| Feb | 541 | 337 | 439 | 1064.2 | 3 |
| Mar | 440 | 236 | 338 | 1174.6 | 6 |
| Apr | 337 | 134 | 235 | 993.9 | 13 |
| May | 235 | −131 | 033 | 933.6 | 22 |
| Jun | 133 | −229 | −131 | 903.5 | 27 |
| Jul | 032 | −327 | −129 | 783.1 | 29 |
| Aug | 032 | −327 | −129 | 833.2 | 30 |
| Sep | 033 | −228 | −130 | 783.1 | 29 |
| Oct | 134 | −130 | 032 | 702.8 | 27 |
| Nov | 236 | 033 | 134 | 793.1 | 20 |
| Dec | 438 | 135 | 236 | 923.6 | 11 |
| Year | 541 | −327 | 134 | 1,09343 | 221 |
“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 | 90% | 88% | 4.3 | 16:37 |
| Feb | 90% | 88% | 3.4 | 14:46 |
| Mar | 89% | 89% | 2.2 | 12:43 |
| Apr | 89% | 88% | 1.2 | 10:25 |
| May | 89% | 88% | 0.6 | 8:28 |
| Jun | 89% | 88% | 0.4 | 7:21 |
| Jul | 89% | 89% | 0.5 | 7:49 |
| Aug | 89% | 88% | 1.0 | 9:33 |
| Sep | 90% | 88% | 1.9 | 11:47 |
| Oct | 90% | 89% | 3.0 | 14:01 |
| Nov | 90% | 88% | 4.3 | 16:05 |
| Dec | 89% | 87% | 4.8 | 17:10 |
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 Grytviken is like
The warmest month is February, with an average high of 5 °C41 °F and a low of 3 °C37 °F. The coldest is August, when highs average 0 °C32 °F and lows −3 °C27 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 5.2 °C9.4 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,093 mm43 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is March (117 mm4.6 in), the driest is October (70 mm2.8 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 89% in May to 90% in October. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 87%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 24 km/h (15 mph) in December to 27 km/h (17 mph) in August. Daylight lasts from about 7.3 hours in June to 17.2 hours in December.
A lasting snow cover is typical in all year, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in September, about 71 cm).
Best time to visit Grytviken
No month comes close to our comfort ideal here. The least demanding months are January, February and December (average highs 4 °C40 °F, 5 °C41 °F and 4 °C38 °F).
The most challenging month is August, which is cold, with average highs of 0 °C32 °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 Grytviken
- Summer (December–February) — highs 438 to 5 °C41 °F, lows 135 to 3 °C37 °F, about 102 mm4.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (March–May) — highs 235 to 4 °C40 °F, lows −131 to 2 °C36 °F, about 103 mm4.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Winter (June–August) — highs 032 to 1 °C33 °F, lows −327 to −2 °C29 °F, about 83 mm3.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (September–November) — highs 033 to 2 °C36 °F, lows −228 to 0 °C33 °F, about 76 mm3.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
How Grytviken compares
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Port-aux-Français (French Southern Territories, ET), Nuuk (Greenland, ET) and Reykjavík (Iceland, Cfc).
Nearby places
- Stanley 1,452 km · 6 °C44 °F · 651 mm26 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Grytviken?
February is the warmest month in Grytviken, with an average high of 5 °C (41 °F) and an average low of 3 °C (37 °F).
What is the coldest month in Grytviken?
August is the coldest month, with an average high of 0 °C (32 °F) and an average low of -3 °C (27 °F).
When does it rain the most in Grytviken?
March is the wettest month with about 117 mm (4.6 in) of precipitation; October is the driest with about 70 mm (2.8 in).
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 136 m, while Grytviken lies at about 4 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.9 °C1.5 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.