Strasbourg, the capital of Alsace, sits on the Rhine plain in eastern France, right on the German border and sheltered to the west by the Vosges mountains, at approximately 48.57°N, 7.75°E. Its sheltered, inland position gives it a temperate climate with a distinctly semi-continental edge (Köppen Cfb) — warm summers and cold winters — with a wider temperature range and less rain than western France.

Summer, from June to August, is warm and sometimes hot, with July the warmest month — average highs around 26–27°C — and heatwaves that can exceed 35–38°C, as the sheltered Rhine plain traps warmth. It is the wettest season, with frequent, sometimes heavy thunderstorms, and the sunny, sheltered slopes support the vineyards of the Alsace wine route.

Winter, from December to February, is cold and often grey, with January the coolest month — average highs around 4–5°C and lows near -1 to 0°C, and cold snaps from continental air that can drop well below -10°C. Snow falls more often than in western France and can lie, and the plain readily traps cold air and persistent fog during still, high-pressure winter spells.

Strasbourg receives around 600–650 mm of precipitation a year, less than Atlantic France because the Vosges mountains to the west cast a rain shadow over the Alsace plain; rain falls year-round with a clear summer maximum from thunderstorms, and a good share of the winter total falls as snow. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Strasbourg lies in the rain shadow of the Vosges, which strip the moisture from Atlantic weather systems and make Alsace one of the driest, sunniest corners of France — dry and warm enough for its celebrated vineyards. That shelter also gives it a semi-continental climate with colder, foggier winters and hotter summers than the mild, damp French Atlantic coast.

To follow any single measurement in Strasbourg 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.