Zurich lies at the northern end of Lake Zurich on the Swiss plateau, at around 400–410 metres elevation and approximately 47.37°N, 8.54°E. It has a temperate, moderately continental climate with cold winters and warm summers and abundant rainfall spread through the year. Its position on the central plateau, away from Geneva's milder western influence, makes it cooler, cloudier and notably foggier in the cold half of the year.

Summer, from June to August, is warm and the wettest season, with July the warmest month — average highs around 24–25°C and mild nights. Mornings are often sunny before the sky clouds over by midday and afternoon thunderstorms build, enhanced by the surrounding hills and the lake. Hot spells with highs of 33–34°C occur and are becoming more frequent, though cool, rainy days pushed in by Atlantic fronts can interrupt summer at any time.

Winter, from December to February, is cold, damp and grey, with January the coldest month — average temperatures around 1°C, daytime highs only a few degrees above freezing and frequent frost. Zurich's defining winter feature is fog and low stratus: during calm high-pressure spells a persistent cloud blanket settles over the plateau while the mountains above bask in sunshine, making the plateau cities the least sunny in Switzerland. Snow falls fairly often but rarely lies deep for long.

Zurich is quite rainy, receiving around 1,100 mm a year, well distributed with a clear late-spring and summer maximum from thunderstorms and a relatively drier winter. A share of cold-season precipitation falls as snow. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Zurich sits under the influence of the same Alpine winds as the rest of northern Switzerland: the warm, dry föhn can briefly clear and warm the air, especially in spring and autumn, while the cold bise brings raw northeasterly spells. The city's most memorable weather trait, though, is its winter fog — long, grey, sunless stretches on the plateau that stand in stark contrast to the bright peaks just above.

To follow any single measurement in Zurich more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.