The climate in Greenland

Climate zone: arctic polar zone

The climate in Greenland is not really suitable for petted US Westcoasters or Central Europeans. It is mostly cold and in winter months the mercury column won't reach anything above freezing point. In the cold season even the maximum temperatures are well below zero. Due to the warmer temperatures the best time for traveling is from May to October. Nearly unattractive for tourists are the cold months from November to April.

› Duration of daylight and sunshine in Greenland

Temperature records of the last 71 years

The hottest temperature measured from 1949 to July 2020 was reported by the Narsarsuaq weather station. In August 2016 the record temperature of 23.4 °C was reported here. The hottest summer from July to September, based on all 13 weather stations in Greenland below 130 metres altitude, was recorded in 2003 with an average temperature of 6.8 °C. This average temperature will normally be measured every 4 to 6 hours, thus also including the nights. Normally, this value is 4.3 degrees Celsius. The average maximum daily temperature at that time was 10.2 °C.

The coldest day in these 71 years was reported by the weather station Danmarkshavn. Here the temperature dropped to -43.6 °C in January 2019. Danmarkshavn lies at an altitude of 12 meters above sea level. The coldest winter (January to March) was in 1989 with an average temperature of -18.8 °C. In Greenland, it is usual to have about 5.6 degrees more at -13.2 °C for this three-month period.


Data basis: German Weather Service, individual values averaged and supplemented by own elements.