Oulu climate
Oulu (Finland) has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc). The average temperature over the year is 3 °C37 °F, and about 729 mm29 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Oulu climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −719 | −1210 | −1015 | 491.9 | 31 |
| Feb | −720 | −1210 | −915 | 391.5 | 28 |
| Mar | −228 | −817 | −522 | 411.6 | 30 |
| Apr | 439 | −228 | 134 | 431.7 | 24 |
| May | 1253 | 439 | 846 | 662.6 | 6 |
| Jun | 1762 | 949 | 1355 | 642.5 | 0 |
| Jul | 2068 | 1355 | 1762 | 833.3 | 0 |
| Aug | 1864 | 1253 | 1559 | 763.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 1355 | 745 | 1050 | 773.0 | 0 |
| Oct | 541 | 135 | 338 | 662.6 | 12 |
| Nov | 032 | −326 | −229 | 642.5 | 22 |
| Dec | −425 | −817 | −621 | 602.4 | 30 |
| Year | 2068 | −1210 | 337 | 72929 | 183 |
“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 | 99% | 79% | 0.1 | 4:57 |
| Feb | 98% | 77% | 0.6 | 8:15 |
| Mar | 97% | 72% | 1.9 | 11:27 |
| Apr | 89% | 74% | 3.6 | 15:04 |
| May | 81% | 68% | 4.9 | 18:40 |
| Jun | 78% | 67% | 5.7 | 21:53 |
| Jul | 81% | 66% | 5.2 | 20:16 |
| Aug | 85% | 68% | 3.7 | 16:33 |
| Sep | 89% | 73% | 2.0 | 12:54 |
| Oct | 94% | 81% | 0.8 | 9:27 |
| Nov | 97% | 83% | 0.2 | 5:59 |
| Dec | 98% | 81% | 0.0 | 3:39 |
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 Oulu is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 20 °C68 °F and a low of 13 °C55 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −7 °C19 °F and lows −12 °C10 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 26.1 °C47 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 729 mm29 in. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 32% of the annual total. The wettest month is July (83 mm3.3 in), the driest is February (39 mm1.5 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 78% in June to 99% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 66%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 3 km/h (2 mph) in July to 7 km/h (4 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 3.7 hours in December to 21.9 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in November–April, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in February, about 36 cm).
Best time to visit Oulu
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are July and August: average highs of 18 °C64 °F to 20 °C68 °F with 76 mm3.0 in to 83 mm3.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −7 °C19 °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 Oulu
- Winter (December–February) — highs −719 to −4 °C25 °F, lows −1210 to −8 °C17 °F, about 49 mm1.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack heavy insulated clothing, thermal base layers, a warm hat, mittens and insulated boots.
- Spring (March–May) — highs −228 to 12 °C53 °F, lows −817 to 4 °C39 °F, about 50 mm2.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 1762 to 20 °C68 °F, lows 949 to 13 °C55 °F, about 75 mm2.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 032 to 13 °C55 °F, lows −326 to 7 °C45 °F, about 69 mm2.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes.
How Oulu compares
Compared with Tampere, about 400 km to the south, Oulu is on average 1.5 °C2.6 °F cooler and receives 6% less precipitation (729 mm29 in vs 776 mm31 in). The difference is largest in April (2.6 °C4.7 °F cooler).
Of the 9 places in Finland covered by World Climates, Oulu is the 9th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 6th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Finland climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Umeå (Sweden, Dfb), Severodvinsk (Russia, Dfc) and Petrozavodsk (Russia, Dfb).
Nearby places
- Kuopio 259 km · 3 °C37 °F · 883 mm35 in
- Umeå 282 km · 4 °C39 °F · 816 mm32 in
- Jyväskylä 308 km · 4 °C39 °F · 807 mm32 in
- Tampere 400 km · 4 °C40 °F · 776 mm31 in
- Lahti 448 km · 4 °C40 °F · 746 mm29 in
- Vantaa 525 km · 5 °C42 °F · 733 mm29 in
- Turku 533 km · 6 °C42 °F · 723 mm28 in
- Espoo 536 km · 6 °C43 °F · 727 mm29 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Oulu?
July is the warmest month in Oulu, with an average high of 20 °C (68 °F) and an average low of 13 °C (55 °F).
What is the coldest month in Oulu?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -7 °C (19 °F) and an average low of -12 °C (10 °F).
When does it rain the most in Oulu?
July is the wettest month with about 83 mm (3.3 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 39 mm (1.5 in).
What is the best time to visit Oulu?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are July and August.
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.