🇩🇰Denmark

Denmark lies between 54°33′ and 57°45′N as a low-lying Scandinavian peninsula and archipelago (the Jutland mainland and around 400 islands including Zealand, Funen, and Bornholm) flanked by the North Sea on the west and the Baltic on the east. The highest natural point is Møllehøj at only 170.86 m, making it one of the flattest countries in Europe. The climate is uniformly oceanic Cfb, moderated by surrounding seas and the prevailing westerlies, with slightly drier conditions on the eastern islands and Bornholm. This description excludes Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

Copenhagen sees January highs of about 3°C and lows of about 1°C and July highs of 22–23°C with 615 mm of rainfall, evenly distributed but with a slight late-summer to autumn maximum. Aarhus in eastern Jutland is similar. Esbjerg on the windswept North Sea coast is mild and wet, receiving around 835 mm. Bornholm is sunnier and slightly drier.

Maritime moderation tempers winter cold, but the January 1982 cold snap reached −31.2°C, the national record. The national record of 37.0°C was set in June 2026 (previously 36.4°C at Holstebro in 1975). Westerlies bring Atlantic depressions year-round.

Denmark has experienced several significant North Atlantic storm events in recent decades, including Storm Knud (September 2018), Storm Bodil (2013, with exceptional storm surges in the inner Danish waters), and Storm Anatol (December 1999). Recurrent storm surge events occur in the Wadden Sea region. Rising sea levels create mounting hazards for the Wadden Sea coast (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the low-lying southern islands of Lolland and Falster.

Our archive covers 4 Danish cities with daily ERA5 reanalysis data going back to 1940. The hottest July afternoons are in Odense, with average highs around 21.1°C, while Copenhagen has the coldest January nights, with average lows near −2°C. Comparing the last decade against the 1940–1970 baseline, mean temperatures across these cities have risen by about 1.8°C.