Nuuk climate
Nuuk (Greenland) has a tundra climate (Köppen ET). The average temperature over the year is 0 °C31 °F, and about 885 mm35 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Nuuk climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −523 | −817 | −720 | 542.1 | 31 |
| Feb | −522 | −916 | −719 | 512.0 | 28 |
| Mar | −524 | −817 | −620 | 512.0 | 30 |
| Apr | −130 | −424 | −327 | 592.3 | 28 |
| May | 337 | 032 | 134 | 712.8 | 19 |
| Jun | 643 | 338 | 541 | 763.0 | 2 |
| Jul | 948 | 542 | 745 | 813.2 | 0 |
| Aug | 947 | 642 | 745 | 963.8 | 0 |
| Sep | 542 | 337 | 439 | 1084.3 | 3 |
| Oct | 235 | −131 | 033 | 783.1 | 21 |
| Nov | −129 | −425 | −327 | 843.3 | 28 |
| Dec | −326 | −621 | −523 | 763.0 | 30 |
| Year | 948 | −916 | 031 | 88535 | 220 |
“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 | 83% | 78% | 0.1 | 5:18 |
| Feb | 84% | 77% | 0.6 | 8:24 |
| Mar | 84% | 74% | 2.0 | 11:29 |
| Apr | 83% | 76% | 3.7 | 14:57 |
| May | 85% | 76% | 5.3 | 18:21 |
| Jun | 89% | 75% | 5.8 | 21:03 |
| Jul | 89% | 67% | 5.4 | 19:46 |
| Aug | 90% | 67% | 4.0 | 16:22 |
| Sep | 86% | 71% | 2.3 | 12:52 |
| Oct | 82% | 71% | 1.0 | 9:33 |
| Nov | 81% | 75% | 0.2 | 6:16 |
| Dec | 83% | 75% | 0.0 | 4:10 |
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 Nuuk is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 9 °C47 °F and a low of 6 °C42 °F. The coldest is February, when highs average −5 °C22 °F and lows −9 °C16 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 14.2 °C25.6 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 885 mm35 in. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 32% of the annual total. The wettest month is September (108 mm4.3 in), the driest is March (51 mm2.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 81% in November to 90% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 67%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 10 km/h (7 mph) in July to 18 km/h (11 mph) in November. Daylight lasts from about 4.2 hours in December to 21.1 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in October–May, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in March, about 69 cm).
Best time to visit Nuuk
No month comes close to our comfort ideal here. The least demanding months are June, July and August (average highs 6 °C43 °F, 9 °C48 °F and 9 °C47 °F).
The most challenging month is February, which is cold, with average highs of −5 °C22 °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 Nuuk
- Winter (December–February) — highs −522 to −3 °C26 °F, lows −916 to −6 °C21 °F, about 61 mm2.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots.
- Spring (March–May) — highs −524 to 3 °C37 °F, lows −817 to 0 °C32 °F, about 60 mm2.4 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.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 643 to 9 °C48 °F, lows 338 to 6 °C42 °F, about 84 mm3.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs −129 to 5 °C42 °F, lows −425 to 3 °C37 °F, about 90 mm3.5 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 Nuuk compares
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Murmansk (Russia, Dfc), Grytviken (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, ET) and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russia, Dfc).
Nearby places
- Reykjavík 1,432 km · 5 °C41 °F · 1,638 mm65 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Nuuk?
August is the warmest month in Nuuk, with an average high of 9 °C (47 °F) and an average low of 6 °C (42 °F).
What is the coldest month in Nuuk?
February is the coldest month, with an average high of -5 °C (22 °F) and an average low of -9 °C (16 °F).
When does it rain the most in Nuuk?
September is the wettest month with about 108 mm (4.3 in) of precipitation; March is the driest with about 51 mm (2.0 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 120 m, while Nuuk lies at about 5 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.7 °C1.3 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.