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Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg, sits in a bowl-shaped valley of the Neckar basin in southwestern Germany, ringed by vine-covered hills at approximately 48.78°N, 9.18°E. Its sheltered basin setting in the warm southwest gives it a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) with warm summers and cool winters — and a marked tendency to trap warm, stagnant air in the enclosed valley.
Summer, from June to August, is warm and among the hottest in Germany, with July the warmest month — average highs around 25–26°C — and heatwaves that can exceed 35–38°C, since the enclosed valley traps heat with little breeze. Thunderstorms are frequent and can be heavy, and the sheltered, sunny slopes are warm enough to support the vineyards that ring the city.
Winter, from December to February, is cool and damp, with January the coolest month — average highs around 4°C and lows near -1 to 0°C. Frost is common, snow falls but rarely lies long in the valley floor, and the basin readily traps cold, stagnant air and fog during still high-pressure spells, giving grey, raw days despite the moderate temperatures.
Stuttgart receives around 650–700 mm of precipitation a year, spread through the year with a clear summer maximum from thunderstorms; the surrounding hills and the Black Forest to the west influence how weather systems arrive, and winter snowfall is light in the valley but heavier on the heights. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.
Stuttgart's bowl-shaped valley is the key to its weather: it traps warm air to give some of the hottest summers in Germany, warm enough for vineyards on the city's slopes, but also traps cold, stagnant air and fog in winter, and has historically concentrated air pollution during still, high-pressure spells — a well-known problem for the enclosed basin.
To follow any single measurement in Stuttgart 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.