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Dresden weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Its baroque skyline, celebrated art collections and gentle riverside setting earned Dresden the name Elbflorenz (Florence on the Elbe), a city whose story, from the Zwinger to the Frauenkirche, has always been bound to its river. Dresden weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, records and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

−2.0°Chigh below average

13° / 9°Today
14° / 7°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+2.4°Caverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–4947frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 88 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 88 in the 1940s13days above 30°C a year now (2016–2025) · 3 in the 1940sdays above 30°C · 3 in the 1940s+2.4°C vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 65 mmhigh 2°low −3°February, rain 57 mmhigh 4°low −2°March, rain 63 mmhigh 8°low 1°April, rain 64 mmhigh 13°low 5°May, rain 84 mmhigh 18°low 9°June, rain 89 mmhigh 21°low 12°July, rain 97 mmhigh 23°low 14°August, rain 91 mmhigh 23°low 14°September, rain 67 mmhigh 19°low 11°October, rain 59 mmhigh 14°low 7°November, rain 63 mmhigh 7°low 3°December, rain 67 mmhigh 4°low 0°wettest month July, 97 mm · 867 mm a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Partly cloudy

Right now

11.3°

9°feels like
77%humidity
8°dew point
9 km/hfrom W
UV index0.6
sunrise07:23sunset18:19day length10h 56m
TodayPartly cloudy13°9°
TueClear17°5°
WedOvercast15°10°
ThuOvercast16°5°
FriClear19°7°
SatOvercast12°9°
SunOvercast11°5°

On this date: October 12

Today (forecast)
13° / 9°
Average for October 12
14° / 7°

High below average · −2.0°C

  • Record high: 24.8° · 2018
  • Record low: −2.5° · 2015
  • One year ago: 14° / 12°

Every October 12 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 12 on record (n = 87). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Dresden is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 51.05°N, 13.74°E, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
51.05°N, 13.74°E
Time zone
Europe/Berlin
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

26 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +1.7°C.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

Dresden straddles the Elbe within the broad Dresden Basin, hemmed in on three sides: the eastern Ore Mountains rise to the south, the steep granite rim of Lusatia to the north, and the Elbe Sandstone Mountains upstream to the east. The climate is oceanic (Köppen Cfb), though the city's position deep inside the continent gives it a continental tilt: warm summers, comparatively cold winters, a rainfall peak in high summer and the driest weeks in late winter and early spring.

The river that defines the city also brings its greatest hazard. In August 2002, torrential rain pushed the Elbe far beyond its usual level, above even the historic 1845 mark, and left many of the city's landmarks damaged; large riverside areas are kept unbuilt to give floodwater room, and two wide trenches steer high water past the inner city. As the climate warms, Germany is expected to see heavier extreme rain and a greater danger of flash floods, above all in built-up areas, while droughts become more frequent.

The year peaks in July, at around 23.2°C by mid-afternoon, with nights around 14.2°C. At the other extreme, January brings afternoon highs of about 2.2°C and typical overnight lows of −2.5°C.

In total, Dresden averages about 867 mm of precipitation a year; July is usually the wettest month (97 mm) and February the driest (57 mm).

The record here starts in 1940, and since then the annual mean in Dresden has climbed 2.4°C from the first ten years to the last ten. Where the first decade averaged 90 frost days a year, the recent one saw about 45.

Sources:en.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.orgdwd.deen.wikipedia.org

Climate graph (climograph)

July is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 19°C. Wettest month: July (~97 mm). Whole year averages ~867 mm of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 118 rainy days a year: most in June (~11), fewest in October (~8).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 2 mm per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Dresden month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Record high/low are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightRecord highRecord low
January2.2°−2.5°65 mm108.2 h16.7° (2023)−25.2° (1947)
February3.7°−1.9°57 mm99.7 h19.5° (2021)−25.7° (1956)
March8.1°1.0°63 mm1011.5 h24.4° (1968)−18.5° (1949)
April13.3°4.7°64 mm913.6 h29.7° (1968)−7.2° (1956)
May18.1°8.9°84 mm1115.3 h31.3° (2018)−2.7° (1941)
June21.4°12.3°89 mm1116.3 h37.2° (2022)3.1° (2012)
July23.2°14.2°97 mm1115.9 h36.5° (2007)6.2° (1964)
August23.1°13.8°91 mm1014.4 h36.7° (2012)4.8° (1980)
September19.1°10.6°67 mm912.4 h33.1° (2024)1.2° (1959)
October13.6°6.7°59 mm810.4 h27.4° (2023)−6.0° (1956)
November7.3°2.7°63 mm98.6 h19.5° (2020)−11.8° (1998)
December3.7°−0.4°67 mm117.7 h17.4° (2022)−22.1° (1940)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +2.4°C.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.30°C per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Dec–Feb is warming fastest: +0.49°C per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 30°C per year: 2.6 early in the record → 12.6 recently. Frost days: 88 → 47.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

All-time high in 2022, all-time low in 1956: 37.2°C / −25.7°C.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~867 mm/year on average. Last decade: −5% vs that average. Long-term trend: +8 mm per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Dresden

Which is the warmest month in Dresden?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Dresden is July (mean daily temperature of about 18.9°C) and the coolest is January (about −0.1°C).
How does today's temperature in Dresden compare to the historical average?
On October 12, 2026, Dresden is forecast to reach a high of 12.5°C and a low of 8.6°C. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 14.5°C and a low of 6.9°C, so today's high is 2.0°C cooler than that average.
How much has Dresden warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Dresden is about 2.4°C warmer.
How much does it rain in Dresden?
Dresden receives about 867 mm of precipitation per year on long-term average, with July typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Dresden?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Dresden is about 9.6°C. The warmest month is July and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Dresden by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Dresden (°C, full record since 1940): January 2°/−3°, February 4°/−2°, March 8°/1°, April 13°/5°, May 18°/9°, June 21°/12°, July 23°/14°, August 23°/14°, September 19°/11°, October 14°/7°, November 7°/3°, December 4°/0°.
What is the weather like in Dresden in summer?
Summer in Dresden (June to August) is pleasantly warm. Daytime highs sit at 21–23°C and nights at 12–14°C; July is the warmest month. Rain is steady at around 92 mm a month, spread over roughly 11 days. It is the wettest season of the year.
What is the weather like in Dresden in winter?
In winter, December through February, Dresden is cold. Afternoons run 2–4°C and nights −3 to 0°C; January is the coldest month. Rain and snow fall on about 10 days a month, adding up to around 63 mm.
What is the weather like in Dresden in spring?
March to May is spring in Dresden, and it is cool. It warms from 8°C by day and 1°C at night in March to 18°C and 9°C in May. Rain is steady at around 70 mm a month, spread over roughly 10 days.
What is the weather like in Dresden in autumn?
Autumn in Dresden (September to November) is cool. September is still 19°C by day and 11°C at night; by November it is down to 7°C and 3°C. Rain falls on about 9 days a month, adding up to around 63 mm.
How many days a year does it rain in Dresden?
On long-term average, Dresden has about 118 days a year with at least 2 mm of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 867 mm.

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