Hanover (Hannover), the capital of Lower Saxony, sits on the River Leine on the North German Plain, at the northern edge of the central uplands at approximately 52.37°N, 9.73°E. Its position between the maritime northwest and the more continental east gives it a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) with a slight continental edge — mild, changeable, with warm summers, cool winters and rain in every month.

Summer, from June to August, is warm and changeable, with July the warmest month — average highs around 23–24°C and cool nights. Genuinely hot days are uncommon but heatwaves can push temperatures past 33°C. It is the wettest season for thundery showers, though also the sunniest, with long northern daylight hours and green, pleasant conditions between the passing Atlantic fronts.

Winter, from December to February, is cold and grey rather than severe, with January the coolest month — average highs around 4°C and lows near -1 to 0°C. Frost is frequent on clear nights, and snow falls but rarely lies long; the season is more often overcast, damp and windy than deeply cold, with short daylight, though continental air from the east can bring sharper cold snaps.

Hanover receives around 650–700 mm of precipitation a year, spread through every month with a summer maximum from thundery showers; its inland position makes it a little drier than the coastal northwest but wetter than the eastern plains. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Hanover sits on the transition between Germany's mild, wet maritime northwest and the drier, more continental east, so its weather can be pulled either way — Atlantic westerlies bringing mild, damp, changeable conditions, or easterly continental air delivering sharper winter cold and clearer, warmer summer spells. Rapid day-to-day changes are a defining feature of the North German Plain.

To follow any single measurement in Hanover 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.