Riga, the capital of Latvia, sits at the mouth of the Daugava River on the Gulf of Riga, an inlet of the Baltic Sea, at approximately 56.95°N, 24.11°E. Its coastal, northerly position gives it a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) moderated by the Baltic — with mild summers and cold, snowy winters — and a marked swing in daylight through the year.

Summer, from June to August, is mild and short, with July the warmest month — average highs around 22–23°C and cool nights — though warm spells can occasionally reach 30°C. It is the wettest season for showers and thunderstorms, but also by far the brightest, with the long luminous northern evenings drawing people to the Baltic beaches at nearby Jūrmala.

Winter, from December to March, is cold and snowy, with January and February the coldest — average highs around -1 to -2°C and lows near -7°C, and cold snaps that can plunge below -20°C. The Gulf of Riga can freeze near the shore, snow covers the ground for months, and daylight shrinks to only about six or seven hours around the solstice.

Riga receives around 650–700 mm of precipitation a year, spread through the year with a late-summer and autumn maximum, while spring is the driest season; a substantial share of the cold-season total falls as snow, which lies through the long winter. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Riga's position on the Gulf of Riga moderates its winters relative to the continental interior, though the shallow gulf still freezes near the shore in cold years. Its weather is defined by the northern swing from the white nights of midsummer, when twilight lingers all night, to the brief grey afternoons of December.

To follow any single measurement in Riga 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.