Karlsruhe climate
Karlsruhe (Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). The average temperature over the year is 11 °C52 °F, and about 739 mm29 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Karlsruhe climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 440 | −229 | 134 | 612.4 | 20 |
| Feb | 643 | −130 | 236 | 481.9 | 19 |
| Mar | 1152 | 134 | 643 | 532.1 | 13 |
| Apr | 1762 | 541 | 1152 | 441.7 | 4 |
| May | 2170 | 1049 | 1560 | 742.9 | 0 |
| Jun | 2678 | 1457 | 2067 | 662.6 | 0 |
| Jul | 2882 | 1660 | 2271 | 712.8 | 0 |
| Aug | 2780 | 1559 | 2170 | 732.9 | 0 |
| Sep | 2272 | 1051 | 1661 | 522.1 | 0 |
| Oct | 1661 | 644 | 1152 | 642.5 | 2 |
| Nov | 949 | 337 | 643 | 612.4 | 8 |
| Dec | 541 | −131 | 236 | 722.8 | 19 |
| Year | 2882 | −229 | 1152 | 73929 | 84 |
“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 | 92% | 80% | 0.9 | 8:39 |
| Feb | 88% | 75% | 1.6 | 10:05 |
| Mar | 82% | 68% | 2.9 | 11:44 |
| Apr | 74% | 63% | 4.4 | 13:38 |
| May | 71% | 69% | 5.2 | 15:16 |
| Jun | 66% | 68% | 5.7 | 16:11 |
| Jul | 62% | 64% | 5.5 | 15:48 |
| Aug | 65% | 65% | 4.7 | 14:22 |
| Sep | 71% | 62% | 3.5 | 12:31 |
| Oct | 82% | 71% | 2.0 | 10:41 |
| Nov | 90% | 80% | 1.0 | 9:03 |
| Dec | 93% | 81% | 0.7 | 8:15 |
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 Karlsruhe is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 28 °C82 °F and a low of 16 °C60 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 4 °C40 °F and lows −2 °C29 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 20.4 °C36.8 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 739 mm29 in. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is May (74 mm2.9 in), the driest is April (44 mm1.7 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 62% in July to 93% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 62%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in August to 10 km/h (6 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 8.2 hours in December to 16.2 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–February, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 12 cm).
Best time to visit Karlsruhe
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–September: average highs of 21 °C70 °F to 28 °C82 °F with 52 mm2.1 in to 74 mm2.9 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 Karlsruhe
- Winter (December–February) — highs 440 to 6 °C43 °F, lows −229 to −1 °C31 °F, about 60 mm2.4 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 1152 to 21 °C70 °F, lows 134 to 10 °C49 °F, about 57 mm2.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2678 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 1457 to 16 °C60 °F, about 70 mm2.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 949 to 22 °C72 °F, lows 337 to 10 °C51 °F, about 59 mm2.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
How Karlsruhe compares
Compared with Mannheim, about 54 km to the north, Karlsruhe has practically the same average temperature and receives a similar amount of precipitation.
Of the 62 places in Germany covered by World Climates, Karlsruhe is the warmest by annual mean temperature and the 39th 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: Strasbourg (France, Cfb), Mulhouse (France, Cfb) and Nancy (France, Cfb).
Nearby places
- Pforzheim 26 km · 10 °C51 °F · 849 mm33 in
- Mannheim 54 km · 11 °C52 °F · 739 mm29 in
- Heilbronn 61 km · 11 °C52 °F · 785 mm31 in
- Stuttgart 62 km · 10 °C51 °F · 785 mm31 in
- Strasbourg 68 km · 11 °C52 °F · 757 mm30 in
- Reutlingen 82 km · 10 °C50 °F · 865 mm34 in
- Darmstadt 98 km · 10 °C51 °F · 669 mm26 in
- Saarbrücken 104 km · 10 °C51 °F · 762 mm30 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Karlsruhe?
July is the warmest month in Karlsruhe, with an average high of 28 °C (82 °F) and an average low of 16 °C (60 °F).
What is the coldest month in Karlsruhe?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 4 °C (40 °F) and an average low of -2 °C (29 °F).
When does it rain the most in Karlsruhe?
May is the wettest month with about 74 mm (2.9 in) of precipitation; April is the driest with about 44 mm (1.7 in).
What is the best time to visit Karlsruhe?
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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 202 m, while Karlsruhe lies at about 118 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.5 °C1 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.