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Zürich weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Switzerland's banking capital sits where Lake Zürich narrows beneath wooded hills, within sight of the Alps: a moist, temperate climate of warm summers, cold winters, and the warm föhn and cool Bise winds that swing its weather. Zürich weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, records and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+0.3°Chigh near average

16° / 7°Today
15° / 9°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+2.5°Caverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–4936frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 96 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 96 in the 1940s14days above 30°C a year now (2016–2025) · 4 in the 1940sdays above 30°C · 4 in the 1940s+2.5°C vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 99 mmhigh 4°low −1°February, rain 91 mmhigh 6°low −1°March, rain 99 mmhigh 10°low 2°April, rain 115 mmhigh 14°low 5°May, rain 144 mmhigh 18°low 9°June, rain 149 mmhigh 22°low 12°July, rain 145 mmhigh 24°low 15°August, rain 149 mmhigh 23°low 15°September, rain 119 mmhigh 20°low 12°October, rain 99 mmhigh 15°low 8°November, rain 109 mmhigh 8°low 3°December, rain 102 mmhigh 5°low 0°wettest month August, 149 mm · 1,420 mm a yearsee month by month →

Right now

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

Right now

12.5°

11°feels like
73%humidity
8°dew point
5 km/hfrom NW
UV index2.5
sunrise07:40sunset18:44day length11h 05m
TodayMostly clear16°7°
TueLight rain14°7°
WedPartly cloudy20°14°
ThuPartly cloudy20°11°
FriOvercast18°11°
SatOvercast13°9°
SunOvercast11°8°

On this date: October 12

Today (forecast)
16° / 7°
Average for October 12
15° / 9°

High near average · +0.3°C

  • Record high: 24.9° · 2023
  • Record low: 2.2° · 1941
  • One year ago: 14° / 9°

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 Zürich is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 47.37°N, 8.55°E, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
47.37°N, 8.55°E
Time zone
Europe/Zurich
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: +2.7°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

Zürich has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb), set on the Swiss plateau at the northern tip of Lake Zürich, around 30 km north of the Alps and framed by wooded hills. Westerly winds bring much of its rain, while two regional winds shape its spells of weather: the cool north-easterly Bise that accompanies high pressure, and the warm Alpine föhn that can reach the region from the south.

Lake and hills give the city a moist, four-season climate. Its clearest long-term signal is warming: across Switzerland the mean temperature has risen markedly since pre-industrial times.

The warmest month is July, with typical afternoon highs of 23.7°C and nights around 14.7°C. At the other extreme, January brings afternoon highs of about 3.8°C and typical overnight lows of −1.3°C.

Zürich picks up roughly 1,420 mm a year, with a peak of 149 mm in August and as little as 91 mm in February. Precipitation falls on roughly 148 days in a typical year.

Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Zürich has risen by 2.5°C between its first decade and its last. Frost days have thinned out, from around 95 a year in the first decade to about 35 now.

Sources:en.wikipedia.orgbritannica.commeteoswiss.admin.ch

Climate graph (climograph)

July is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 18°C. Wettest month: August (~149 mm). Whole year averages ~1,420 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 148 rainy days a year: most in May (~15), fewest in October (~10).

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.

Zürich 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
January3.8°−1.3°99 mm128.7 h17.4° (2015)−19.5° (1987)
February5.7°−0.7°91 mm1110.0 h19.3° (1990)−20.9° (1956)
March10.0°1.7°99 mm1211.6 h23.8° (1989)−14.2° (1971)
April13.9°4.5°115 mm1313.4 h28.8° (2012)−5.0° (1956)
May18.3°8.7°144 mm1514.9 h31.4° (2009)−3.5° (1957)
June21.7°12.5°149 mm1415.7 h35.3° (2003)2.5° (1962)
July23.7°14.7°145 mm1415.4 h35.6° (2013)6.6° (1948)
August23.2°14.7°149 mm1314.1 h36.5° (2003)5.8° (1940)
September19.7°11.8°119 mm1112.3 h31.6° (1943)2.0° (1971)
October14.7°8.1°99 mm1010.6 h26.9° (2009)−4.2° (2003)
November8.4°3.3°109 mm129.0 h22.1° (2020)−8.9° (1965)
December4.7°0.0°102 mm128.3 h16.9° (1993)−14.8° (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 +2.5°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: +0.32°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: 3.5 early in the record → 14.0 recently. Frost days: 96 → 36.

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 2003, all-time low in 1956: 36.5°C / −20.9°C.

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

Annual rainfall

~1,420 mm/year on average. Last decade: −1% vs that average. Long-term trend: +27 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 Zürich

Which is the warmest month in Zürich?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Zürich is July (mean daily temperature of about 19.2°C) and the coolest is January (about 1.2°C).
How does today's temperature in Zürich compare to the historical average?
On October 12, 2026, Zürich is forecast to reach a high of 15.8°C and a low of 6.6°C. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 15.5°C and a low of 8.6°C, so today's high is about equal to that average.
How much has Zürich warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Zürich is about 2.5°C warmer.
How much does it rain in Zürich?
Zürich receives about 1,420 mm of precipitation per year on long-term average, with August typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Zürich?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Zürich is about 10.2°C. The warmest month is July and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Zürich by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Zürich (°C, full record since 1940): January 4°/−1°, February 6°/−1°, March 10°/2°, April 14°/5°, May 18°/9°, June 22°/12°, July 24°/15°, August 23°/15°, September 20°/12°, October 15°/8°, November 8°/3°, December 5°/0°.
What is the weather like in Zürich in summer?
Summer in Zürich (June to August) is wet and pleasantly warm. Daytime highs sit at 22–24°C and nights at 12–15°C; July is the warmest month. Rain is steady at around 148 mm a month, spread over roughly 14 days. No season is wetter.
What is the weather like in Zürich in winter?
December to February is winter in Zürich, and it is cold. Afternoons run 4–6°C and nights −1 to 0°C; January is the coldest month. Rain falls on about 11 days a month, adding up to around 97 mm.
What is the weather like in Zürich in spring?
In spring, March through May, Zürich is wet and cool. March is still 10°C in the afternoon and 2°C at night, May already 18°C and 9°C. Rain is steady at around 119 mm a month, spread over roughly 13 days.
What is the weather like in Zürich in autumn?
In autumn, September through November, Zürich is wet and cool. September still brings 20°C afternoons and 12°C nights, November only 8°C and 3°C. Rain falls on about 11 days a month, adding up to around 109 mm.
How many days a year does it rain in Zürich?
On long-term average, Zürich has about 148 days a year with at least 2 mm of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 1,420 mm.

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