Sarajevo climate
Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). The average temperature over the year is 11 °C52 °F, and about 900 mm35 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Sarajevo climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 540 | −326 | 133 | 773.0 |
| Feb | 642 | −228 | 235 | 742.9 |
| Mar | 1050 | 133 | 542 | 742.9 |
| Apr | 1660 | 541 | 1051 | 682.7 |
| May | 2068 | 949 | 1559 | 813.2 |
| Jun | 2476 | 1456 | 1966 | 823.2 |
| Jul | 2882 | 1560 | 2271 | 542.1 |
| Aug | 2983 | 1560 | 2271 | 552.2 |
| Sep | 2272 | 1151 | 1762 | 783.1 |
| Oct | 1763 | 644 | 1254 | 763.0 |
| Nov | 1253 | 337 | 745 | 913.6 |
| Dec | 642 | −229 | 236 | 893.5 |
| Year | 2983 | −326 | 1152 | 90035 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 91% | 77% | 1.5 | 9:15 |
| Feb | 89% | 79% | 2.2 | 10:25 |
| Mar | 84% | 75% | 3.3 | 11:48 |
| Apr | 78% | 72% | 4.3 | 13:23 |
| May | 77% | 71% | 5.3 | 14:43 |
| Jun | 74% | 61% | 6.2 | 15:27 |
| Jul | 66% | 48% | 6.4 | 15:09 |
| Aug | 62% | 46% | 5.7 | 13:59 |
| Sep | 71% | 61% | 4.0 | 12:26 |
| Oct | 79% | 63% | 2.8 | 10:55 |
| Nov | 86% | 71% | 1.7 | 9:35 |
| Dec | 90% | 76% | 1.3 | 8:55 |
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 Sarajevo is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 29 °C83 °F and a low of 15 °C60 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 5 °C40 °F and lows −3 °C26 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 21.2 °C38.1 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 900 mm35 in. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is November (91 mm3.6 in), the driest is July (54 mm2.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 62% in August to 91% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 46%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 2 km/h (1 mph) in June to 4 km/h (2 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 8.9 hours in December to 15.4 hours in June.
Best time to visit Sarajevo
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–September: average highs of 20 °C68 °F to 29 °C83 °F with 54 mm2.1 in to 82 mm3.2 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 5 °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 Sarajevo
- Winter (December–February) — highs 540 to 6 °C42 °F, lows −326 to −2 °C29 °F, about 80 mm3.2 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 1050 to 20 °C68 °F, lows 133 to 9 °C49 °F, about 74 mm2.9 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 2476 to 29 °C83 °F, lows 1456 to 15 °C60 °F, about 64 mm2.5 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 1253 to 22 °C72 °F, lows 337 to 11 °C51 °F, about 82 mm3.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Sarajevo compares
Compared with Belgrade, about 199 km to the northeast, Sarajevo is on average 1.1 °C2 °F cooler and receives 33% more precipitation (900 mm35 in vs 676 mm27 in). The difference is largest in June (2.8 °C5 °F cooler).
Of the 5 places in Bosnia and Herzegovina covered by World Climates, Sarajevo is the 5th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 2nd wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Bosnia and Herzegovina climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Mitrovicë (Kosovo, Dfa), Ljubljana (Slovenia, Cfb) and Pristina (Kosovo, Dfa).
Nearby places
- Zenica 53 km · 12 °C54 °F · 900 mm35 in
- Mostar 71 km · 15 °C59 °F · 983 mm39 in
- Tuzla 81 km · 12 °C54 °F · 838 mm33 in
- Banja Luka 138 km · 12 °C54 °F · 857 mm34 in
- Split 159 km · 17 °C62 °F · 921 mm36 in
- Čačak 160 km · 12 °C54 °F · 765 mm30 in
- Podgorica 173 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,419 mm56 in
- Novi Sad 195 km · 12 °C54 °F · 635 mm25 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Sarajevo?
August is the warmest month in Sarajevo, with an average high of 29 °C (83 °F) and an average low of 15 °C (60 °F).
What is the coldest month in Sarajevo?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 5 °C (40 °F) and an average low of -3 °C (26 °F).
When does it rain the most in Sarajevo?
November is the wettest month with about 91 mm (3.6 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 54 mm (2.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Sarajevo?
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 881 m, while Sarajevo lies at about 509 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +2.4 °C4.4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.