Leeuwarden climate
Leeuwarden (The Netherlands) has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). The average temperature over the year is 10 °C51 °F, and about 824 mm32 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Leeuwarden climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 541 | 235 | 338 | 773.0 | 9 |
| Feb | 541 | 135 | 338 | 632.5 | 8 |
| Mar | 846 | 337 | 541 | 532.1 | 5 |
| Apr | 1254 | 642 | 948 | 401.6 | 0 |
| May | 1660 | 949 | 1254 | 592.3 | 0 |
| Jun | 1965 | 1355 | 1660 | 652.6 | 0 |
| Jul | 2169 | 1559 | 1864 | 813.2 | 0 |
| Aug | 2169 | 1559 | 1864 | 893.5 | 0 |
| Sep | 1864 | 1355 | 1560 | 682.7 | 0 |
| Oct | 1457 | 949 | 1253 | 753.0 | 0 |
| Nov | 949 | 643 | 846 | 742.9 | 0 |
| Dec | 643 | 337 | 540 | 793.1 | 5 |
| Year | 2169 | 135 | 1051 | 82432 | 28 |
“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 | 91% | 84% | 0.6 | 8:03 |
| Feb | 89% | 82% | 1.3 | 9:45 |
| Mar | 86% | 76% | 2.7 | 11:41 |
| Apr | 82% | 69% | 4.3 | 13:54 |
| May | 80% | 69% | 5.4 | 15:50 |
| Jun | 80% | 73% | 5.6 | 16:56 |
| Jul | 80% | 71% | 5.4 | 16:29 |
| Aug | 80% | 73% | 4.5 | 14:45 |
| Sep | 82% | 75% | 3.1 | 12:35 |
| Oct | 86% | 81% | 1.6 | 10:27 |
| Nov | 90% | 87% | 0.7 | 8:32 |
| Dec | 91% | 87% | 0.4 | 7:33 |
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 Leeuwarden is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 21 °C69 °F and a low of 15 °C59 °F. The coldest is February, when highs average 5 °C41 °F and lows 1 °C35 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 14.6 °C26.3 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 824 mm32 in. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 29% of the annual total. The wettest month is August (89 mm3.5 in), the driest is April (40 mm1.6 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 80% in June to 91% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 69%) are typical of April. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 14 km/h (9 mph) in July to 20 km/h (12 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 7.6 hours in December to 16.9 hours in June.
Best time to visit Leeuwarden
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June–September: average highs of 18 °C64 °F to 21 °C69 °F with 65 mm2.6 in to 89 mm3.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 5 °C41 °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 Leeuwarden
- Winter (December–February) — highs 541 to 6 °C43 °F, lows 135 to 3 °C37 °F, about 73 mm2.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 846 to 16 °C60 °F, lows 337 to 9 °C49 °F, about 51 mm2.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 1965 to 21 °C69 °F, lows 1355 to 15 °C59 °F, about 79 mm3.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 949 to 18 °C64 °F, lows 643 to 13 °C55 °F, about 72 mm2.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
How Leeuwarden compares
Compared with Groningen, about 50 km to the east, Leeuwarden is on average 0.6 °C1 °F warmer and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in December (1.5 °C2.8 °F warmer).
Of the 17 places in The Netherlands covered by World Climates, Leeuwarden is the 10th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 6th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the The Netherlands climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Brugge (Belgium, Cfb), Gent (Belgium, Cfb) and Norwich (United Kingdom, Cfb).
Nearby places
- Groningen 50 km · 10 °C50 °F · 791 mm31 in
- Zwolle 79 km · 10 °C50 °F · 787 mm31 in
- Almere Stad 101 km · 10 °C51 °F · 827 mm33 in
- Apeldoorn 111 km · 10 °C50 °F · 768 mm30 in
- Amsterdam 111 km · 10 °C51 °F · 827 mm33 in
- Amersfoort 120 km · 10 °C50 °F · 792 mm31 in
- Haarlem 121 km · 11 °C52 °F · 896 mm35 in
- Enschede 132 km · 10 °C50 °F · 769 mm30 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Leeuwarden?
August is the warmest month in Leeuwarden, with an average high of 21 °C (69 °F) and an average low of 15 °C (59 °F).
What is the coldest month in Leeuwarden?
February is the coldest month, with an average high of 5 °C (41 °F) and an average low of 1 °C (35 °F).
When does it rain the most in Leeuwarden?
August is the wettest month with about 89 mm (3.5 in) of precipitation; April is the driest with about 40 mm (1.6 in).
What is the best time to visit Leeuwarden?
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.