Today's weather for Amsterdam, Netherlands4th Jul 2009 15:00

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Weather Overview for Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the quirky capital of The Netherlands - it is an interesting city to say the least. Amsterdam lies in the centre of the coast in northern Holland, and sits floating on a web of canals. As result of clever town planning in the 17^th century, the city is spread over four main concentric half-circles of canals that fan out from the central train station.

As the city is split up by these canals it is (obviously) surrounded by a significant amount of water. This has lead to Amsterdam being crowned Europe’s most humid city! With the average humidity sitting at 82.5% year round, it can sometimes be too sticky for comfort.

Amsterdam experiences 214 rainy days a year, making it Europe’s 4^th rainiest city (based on days of rainfall). However, it records less than 760 mm of precipitation annually as most of this precipitation falls during long periods of drizzle or light rain.

Summer, from June to September, sees average highs of 18°C to 21°C and lows of 11°C to 13°C. While the weather in the summer is generally pleasant and comfortable, it can get chilly at night so be sure to pack a coat. July and August are the warmest months and can see temperatures in the high 20s. There are about 22 days per year where the temperature is over 22°C. 2003 and 2006 each saw heat waves hit Amsterdam and the city recorded 11 and 13 days (respectively) where the mercury rose above 30°C. Because of the humidity in Amsterdam if the temperature gets into the 30s you might feel like you’re in the tropics.

Obviously, with rain falling on over 50% of the days of the year, you are likely to experience a shower or two on your trip. Summer months see rain on just under half of the days in each month. However, the sun still comes out for seven hours per day in June and six in July and August but only four in September.

Autumn is mild and wet. From mid September temperatures really start to cool and you may find you need an extra layer even in the daytime. October has an average high temperature of 13°C and November one of 9°C. Night times get really chilly at an average low of 7°C in October and 4°C in November. Precipitation reaches its highest levels and rain seems to fall all the time.

Winters in Amsterdam rarely see the temperature drop below freezing for long periods, though it does happen occasionally. On average, 58 days of the year see the mercury touch 0°C, though there is a great range of variation from year to year. Between December and February the average low temperature does not fall below 1°C. The average high temperature sits at 6°C at the beginning and end of the season, dipping to 5°C in January. Sunshine levels drop to one hour per day in December but this improves as the season progresses. Rainfall lightens but falls just as frequently as in autumn until February which typically sees fewer, heavier showers.

Spring in Amsterdam is beautiful; the rainbow of brightly painted cafes have windowsills filled with blooming flower boxes and street art is reinvigorated. March is still pretty chilly, with an average high of 9°C and average low of 2°C. April is also cool with average highs of 12°C and average lows of 4°C. May is often very pleasant with highs in the high teens, though its nights remain cold. April and May are the driest months in the year and are also very sunny. May receives the annual maximum of seven hours of sunshine per day.

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