Rotterdam climate
Rotterdam (The Netherlands) has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). The average temperature over the year is 11 °C51 °F, and about 835 mm33 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Rotterdam climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 642 | 236 | 439 | 773.0 | 8 |
| Feb | 643 | 235 | 439 | 662.6 | 8 |
| Mar | 947 | 337 | 642 | 552.2 | 4 |
| Apr | 1355 | 642 | 948 | 381.5 | 0 |
| May | 1661 | 949 | 1355 | 562.2 | 0 |
| Jun | 1966 | 1355 | 1660 | 622.4 | 0 |
| Jul | 2170 | 1559 | 1865 | 783.1 | 0 |
| Aug | 2170 | 1559 | 1865 | 873.4 | 0 |
| Sep | 1966 | 1355 | 1660 | 702.7 | 0 |
| Oct | 1558 | 949 | 1254 | 793.1 | 0 |
| Nov | 1050 | 643 | 847 | 813.2 | 0 |
| Dec | 744 | 338 | 541 | 853.4 | 5 |
| Year | 2170 | 235 | 1151 | 83533 | 26 |
“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% | 74% | 0.8 | 8:15 |
| Feb | 89% | 72% | 1.5 | 9:51 |
| Mar | 86% | 66% | 2.7 | 11:42 |
| Apr | 82% | 61% | 4.3 | 13:49 |
| May | 80% | 65% | 5.1 | 15:39 |
| Jun | 79% | 67% | 5.5 | 16:41 |
| Jul | 78% | 64% | 5.2 | 16:15 |
| Aug | 78% | 64% | 4.4 | 14:38 |
| Sep | 80% | 61% | 3.3 | 12:33 |
| Oct | 85% | 68% | 1.9 | 10:32 |
| Nov | 89% | 73% | 0.9 | 8:42 |
| Dec | 91% | 74% | 0.6 | 7:47 |
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 Rotterdam is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 21 °C70 °F and a low of 15 °C59 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 6 °C42 °F and lows 2 °C36 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 14.5 °C26.1 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 835 mm33 in. The wettest three-month stretch is October–December, which brings 29% of the annual total. The wettest month is August (87 mm3.4 in), the driest is April (38 mm1.5 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 78% in July to 91% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 61%) are typical of April. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 13 km/h (8 mph) in July to 18 km/h (11 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 7.8 hours in December to 16.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit Rotterdam
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June–September: average highs of 19 °C66 °F to 21 °C70 °F with 62 mm2.4 in to 87 mm3.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 6 °C42 °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 Rotterdam
- Winter (December–February) — highs 642 to 7 °C44 °F, lows 235 to 3 °C38 °F, about 76 mm3.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 947 to 16 °C61 °F, lows 337 to 9 °C49 °F, about 50 mm2.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 1966 to 21 °C70 °F, lows 1355 to 15 °C59 °F, about 76 mm3.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1050 to 19 °C66 °F, lows 643 to 13 °C55 °F, about 77 mm3.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
How Rotterdam compares
Compared with Brussels, about 120 km to the south, Rotterdam has practically the same average temperature and receives 9% more precipitation (835 mm33 in vs 764 mm30 in). The difference is largest in December (1.5 °C2.7 °F warmer).
Of the 17 places in The Netherlands covered by World Climates, Rotterdam is the 3rd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 2nd 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), Slough (United Kingdom, Cfb) and Gent (Belgium, Cfb).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Dordrecht (pop. 119,260). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Rotterdam, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- The Hague 21 km · 11 °C51 °F · 835 mm33 in
- Breda 43 km · 11 °C51 °F · 772 mm30 in
- Utrecht 48 km · 10 °C50 °F · 801 mm32 in
- Haarlem 52 km · 11 °C52 °F · 896 mm35 in
- Amsterdam 57 km · 10 °C51 °F · 827 mm33 in
- Tilburg 59 km · 10 °C51 °F · 772 mm30 in
- Amersfoort 67 km · 10 °C50 °F · 792 mm31 in
- Almere Stad 71 km · 10 °C51 °F · 827 mm33 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Rotterdam?
August is the warmest month in Rotterdam, with an average high of 21 °C (70 °F) and an average low of 15 °C (59 °F).
What is the coldest month in Rotterdam?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 6 °C (42 °F) and an average low of 2 °C (36 °F).
When does it rain the most in Rotterdam?
August is the wettest month with about 87 mm (3.4 in) of precipitation; April is the driest with about 38 mm (1.5 in).
What is the best time to visit Rotterdam?
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.