Today's weather for Copenhagen, Denmark22nd Nov 2009 00:20

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Weather Overview for Copenhagen

Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital city, shares the country’s temperate maritime climate. Mild temperatures and an overcast sky are observed throughout the four seasons. Rainfall levels are low but it drizzles frequently.  Due to its extreme northerly latitude, Copenhagen experiences large differences in daylight hours, with long days in the summer and short days in the winter. Denmark is a Scandinavian country in the north of Europe, almost entirely surround by water. To the east is the Baltic Sea and to the west is the North Sea. Copenhagen sits on the east coast of Denmark’s largest island, Zealand. It is separated from Sweden by one of the Danish Straights.

Summer, from June till August, receives moderately warm temperatures during days that last from 3:30 a.m. till 10:00 p.m.. Statistically it looks like Copenhagen is a sunny city in the summer with its eight hours of sunshine per day. In reality Copenhagen does not shrug off its grey overcoat for the summer months; while the sun is a little bit more reliable in the summer, the days are just so much that the usual story of the sun intermittently peaking through an overcast sky is extended and the amount of time the sun reveals itself for inevitably adds up. In June the daytime average high is 19°C and the peak summer months of July and August receive just one extra degree, seeing an average high of 20°C. Night times are very cool around 12°.  July and August are the wettest months of the year. It does not rain much more frequently but it rains harder. In the comparative heat, locals flock to Copenhagen’s beaches, one natural, one manmade, and the open air swimming baths; but the water temperature is usually around 16°C which could be described as quite bracing or brrrrrr. But if you wanted a beach holiday, you wouldn’t be going to Denmark. This is a great time to visit the culturally diverse city of Copenhagen. The long days mean extra time for exploring the different quarters of the city; the mild heat is pleasantly comfortable and won’t constrain your choice of activity.

Autumn, from September till November, sees average high temperatures reducing. An average high of 17°C in September drops to 12°C in October and down to 12°C in November; considering the average high temperature in Moscow in November, which shares its latitude with Copenhagen, -1°C, this is very mild. Night times are cold, dropping to an average low of freezing by mid November. September and October are quite wet, and the rain becomes increasingly indecisive. While by November rainfall levels are reduced, rain has increased in frequency. The days become much shorter and the sunshine hours reduce to five per day in September, three in October, bottoming in November at one.

Winter, from December till February, gets very cool with average highs of 4°C, in December dropping to 2°C for January and February, when the average low slips just below freezing. Rain frequency increases again, but falls off in February. The measly one hour of sunshine per day is distributed in snatched minutes between sunrise at 9:30a.m. and sunset at 4:30 p.m..

Spring, from March till May, sees a return of the sun as the days start to lengthen. In March the sun already manages to come out for four hours a day, in April it squeezes in an extra hour, then takes a bold leap up to summer levels and emerges for eight hours per day in May. March is the driest month in the year but temperatures remain cold at 5°C in the hottest part of the day, getting down to freezing most nights. The average high then rises to 10°C in April and up to 15°C in May. Night time temperatures rarely get down to freezing from early April onwards.

Copenhagen’s climate can be attributed to its northerly position combined with proximity to the sea and its low, flat landscape. The moderating effects of the sea are able to reach far inland, unhindered by hills.

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