Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, sits on the eastern edge of the island of Zealand beside the Øresund strait, across the water from Malmö in Sweden, at approximately 55.68°N, 12.57°E. It has a temperate maritime, Baltic-influenced climate almost completely surrounded by sea, which keeps it milder than its high latitude would suggest — around 5°C warmer than the global average for its latitude, thanks to the Atlantic Gulf Stream — with cold, windy winters and mild, pleasant summers.

Summer, from June to August, is mild and among the most pleasant times of year, with July the warmest month — average highs around 21–22°C and cool nights near 14°C. Genuine heat is rare, though brief southerly spells can nudge temperatures toward 30°C. The far-northern latitude brings very long days and luminous 'white nights' around midsummer, when barely any true darkness falls, making it the liveliest season despite occasional showers and thunderstorms.

Winter, from December to February, is cold, damp and often grey and windy, though not severe for the latitude, with January and February the coldest — average highs only 2–4°C and lows around or just below freezing. Milder, rainy Atlantic spells alternate with colder easterly outbreaks from the Siberian High that can push temperatures well below zero. Snow falls on around 20 days a year but rarely lies long, and midwinter days are very short, with barely an hour or two of sunshine.

Copenhagen receives moderate precipitation, roughly 550–600 mm a year, falling on around 160–170 days and spread across every month, with the wettest period in late summer and autumn and the driest in spring, around April. Autumn is notably dull, wet and windy. A share of the winter total falls as snow. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Wind is a constant companion in Copenhagen: exposed to Atlantic and Baltic weather systems on its flat island, the city is frequently breezy, and autumn and winter gales can be strong. The surrounding sea moderates the temperature so effectively that sudden shifts in wind direction, rather than the calendar, often drive the biggest day-to-day swings, and the cool waters keep even high summer comfortable rather than hot.

To follow any single measurement in Copenhagen 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.