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Leiden weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Leiden has well-marked seasons, with 13.7°C between its warmest and coolest monthly means. Rainfall is spread quite evenly across the year. Leiden weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, records and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+1.0°Chigh near average

15° / 8°Today
14° / 10°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+1.7°Caverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–4912frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 41 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 41 in the 1940s9days above 25°C a year now (2016–2025) · 6 in the 1940sdays above 25°C · 6 in the 1940s+1.7°C vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 76 mmhigh 5°low 2°February, rain 58 mmhigh 5°low 2°March, rain 60 mmhigh 8°low 3°April, rain 52 mmhigh 11°low 6°May, rain 59 mmhigh 14°low 9°June, rain 62 mmhigh 17°low 12°July, rain 80 mmhigh 19°low 14°August, rain 86 mmhigh 20°low 15°September, rain 89 mmhigh 17°low 13°October, rain 91 mmhigh 14°low 10°November, rain 95 mmhigh 9°low 6°December, rain 84 mmhigh 7°low 3°wettest month November, 95 mm · 892 mm a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Mostly clear

Right now

14.2°

12°feels like
64%humidity
8°dew point
13 km/hfrom S
UV index2.4
sunrise08:01sunset18:55day length10h 53m
TodayMostly clear15°8°
TueDrizzle18°13°
WedOvercast17°12°
ThuMostly clear17°11°
FriDrizzle17°12°
SatDrizzle14°12°
SunOvercast15°10°

On this date: October 12

Today (forecast)
15° / 8°
Average for October 12
14° / 10°

High near average · +1.0°C

  • Record high: 20.7° · 2018
  • Record low: 3.6° · 2015
  • One year ago: 16° / 13°

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 Leiden is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 52.16°N, 4.49°E, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
52.16°N, 4.49°E
Time zone
Europe/Amsterdam
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

29 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +2.1°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

The year peaks in August, at around 19.6°C by mid-afternoon, with nights around 14.8°C. At the other extreme, January brings afternoon highs of about 5.1°C and typical overnight lows of 1.9°C.

In total, Leiden averages about 892 mm of precipitation a year; November is usually the wettest month (95 mm) and April the driest (52 mm). A typical year brings rain or snow on around 124 days.

The record here starts in 1940, and since then the annual mean in Leiden has climbed 1.7°C from the first ten years to the last ten. Frost days have thinned out, from around 40 a year in the first decade to about 12 now.

Climate graph (climograph)

August is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 14°C. Wettest month: November (~95 mm). Whole year averages ~892 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 124 rainy days a year: most in November (~13), fewest in April (~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.

Leiden 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
January5.1°1.9°76 mm118.0 h13.1° (2023)−15.4° (1942)
February5.3°1.8°58 mm99.6 h15.6° (2019)−14.3° (1956)
March7.7°3.5°60 mm911.5 h18.8° (1968)−9.6° (2005)
April10.7°5.8°52 mm813.6 h24.4° (2007)−2.1° (1986)
May14.4°9.2°59 mm915.5 h26.7° (2017)1.4° (1941)
June17.2°12.2°62 mm916.5 h31.0° (1947)5.6° (1975)
July19.2°14.5°80 mm1016.1 h33.3° (2019)9.5° (1951)
August19.6°14.8°86 mm1114.5 h29.8° (1944)9.6° (1987)
September17.5°12.9°89 mm1112.4 h29.7° (1949)6.1° (1940)
October13.8°9.7°91 mm1110.3 h23.3° (2018)−0.9° (1997)
November9.3°6.1°95 mm138.5 h17.4° (2015)−4.8° (1998)
December6.5°3.4°84 mm127.5 h14.0° (2006)−9.8° (1978)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +1.7°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: +0.22°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: +0.32°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 ≥ 25°C per year: 5.7 early in the record → 9.2 recently. Frost days: 41 → 12.

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 2019, all-time low in 1942: 33.3°C / −15.4°C.

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

Annual rainfall

~892 mm/year on average. Last decade: +7% vs that average. Long-term trend: +29 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 Leiden

Which is the warmest month in Leiden?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Leiden is August (mean daily temperature of about 17.3°C) and the coolest is January (about 3.6°C).
How does today's temperature in Leiden compare to the historical average?
On October 12, 2026, Leiden is forecast to reach a high of 15.2°C and a low of 7.9°C. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 14.2°C and a low of 9.9°C, so today's high is 1.0°C warmer than that average.
How much has Leiden warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Leiden is about 1.7°C warmer.
How much does it rain in Leiden?
Leiden receives about 892 mm of precipitation per year on long-term average, with November typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Leiden?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Leiden is about 10.2°C. The warmest month is August and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Leiden by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Leiden (°C, full record since 1940): January 5°/2°, February 5°/2°, March 8°/3°, April 11°/6°, May 14°/9°, June 17°/12°, July 19°/14°, August 20°/15°, September 17°/13°, October 14°/10°, November 9°/6°, December 7°/3°.
What is the weather like in Leiden in summer?
In summer, June through August, Leiden is mild. Expect 17–20°C by day and 12–15°C at night, with August the warmest month. Rain is steady at around 76 mm a month, spread over roughly 10 days.
What is the weather like in Leiden in winter?
December to February is winter in Leiden, and it is cold. Daytime highs sit at 5–7°C and nights at 2–3°C; February is the coldest month. Rain falls on about 11 days a month, adding up to around 73 mm.
What is the weather like in Leiden in spring?
Spring in Leiden (March to May) is on the cool side. It warms from 8°C by day and 3°C at night in March to 14°C and 9°C in May. Rain is steady at around 57 mm a month, spread over roughly 9 days. No season is drier.
What is the weather like in Leiden in autumn?
Autumn in Leiden (September to November) is cool. September is still 17°C by day and 13°C at night; by November it is down to 9°C and 6°C. Rain falls on about 12 days a month, adding up to around 92 mm. It is the wettest season of the year.
How many days a year does it rain in Leiden?
On long-term average, Leiden has about 124 days a year with at least 2 mm of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 892 mm.

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