Hamburg, Germany's great northern port, sits on the River Elbe about 100 km from where it meets the North Sea, at approximately 53.55°N, 9.99°E. It has a temperate maritime climate (Köppen Cfb) strongly moderated by the sea, giving it cool, grey, damp winters and mild rather than hot summers, with rain, wind and changeable Atlantic weather in every season. The many waterways of the Elbe and the Alster lakes add to the humid, breezy feel.

Summer, from June to August, is mild and pleasant rather than hot, with July and August the warmest months — average highs around 22–23°C and only a handful of genuinely hot days each year, though heat spikes have reached the mid-30s. It is also the wettest time, with July the rainiest month as Atlantic fronts and afternoon showers move through. The far-northern latitude brings very long summer days, with nearly 17 hours of daylight at midsummer.

Winter, from December to February, is cold, damp, windy and often overcast, but rarely severe thanks to the maritime influence, with January the coldest month — average highs around 4–5°C and lows near or just below freezing. Milder Atlantic spells alternate with colder easterly ones that can bring frost and light snow, though snow seldom lies for long. Short days and grey skies define the season, with barely two hours of sunshine a day in midwinter.

Hamburg is one of the rainier major German cities, receiving around 750–800 mm of precipitation a year, spread across every month with a summer maximum around July and a slightly drier spring. Fog is common in autumn and winter. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

As a coastal-influenced port, Hamburg is windier and more changeable than inland Germany, exposed to Atlantic storms that can drive rain and gales up the Elbe. Being further north and closer to the sea than Berlin, it is milder in winter but cooler and cloudier in summer, and autumn is often its wettest, greyest season — though the maritime light and misty waterways give the city a distinctive northern atmosphere.

To follow any single measurement in Hamburg 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.