Cologne is 1.9°C (3.4°F) warmer by day, Cologne gets 55 mm (2.2 in) more rain a year.
Cologne is at its warmest in August and coolest in January, while Hamburg peaks in July and bottoms out in January. Month for month, Cologne is the warmer of the two in 12 of 12 months.
Cologne is the wetter of the two, collecting 822 mm (32.4 in) of rain a year against 767 mm (30.2 in) in Hamburg. The most comfortable time to visit is June, July and August in Cologne and June, July and August in Hamburg.
| Cologne | Metric | Hamburg |
|---|---|---|
| 🌡️ Temperature | ||
| 21.1°C | 🌡️Average daytime high | 19.2°C |
| 0°C | 🌙Average nighttime low | -0.2°C |
| August | 🔥Hottest month | July |
| January | ❄️Coldest month | January |
| 🌧️ Rain | ||
| 822 mm | 🌧️Annual rainfall | 767 mm |
| December | ☔Wettest month | July |
| April | 🏜️Driest month | April |
| 💨 Climate | ||
| 82% | 💧Average humidity | 85% |
| 3 m/s | 💨Average wind speed | 3.2 m/s |
Overnight, Cologne typically falls to around 0°C (32°F) while Hamburg settles near -0.2°C (31.6°F).
Cologne is hottest in August and coldest in January, whereas Hamburg peaks in July and is coolest in January.
Cologne sees the most rain in December and the least in April; Hamburg is wettest in July and driest in April.
Hamburg feels the more humid of the two, averaging 85% relative humidity against 82%.
For Hamburg, the pick of the year is June, July and August.
Month by month, here is the coldest night, the average day and the hottest afternoon each city can expect. Switch Compare to read rainfall, humidity, wind or solar instead, and Period to move between the long-term 45-year average and any single year — the shading is a quick warm-to-cool guide.
| Month | Cologne | Hamburg | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min | Avg | Max | Min | Avg | Max | |
| January | -8.2 | 1.1❄️ | 10.5 | -9.3 | -0.2❄️ | 8.9 |
| February | -7.4 | 2.2 | 11.9 | -7.8 | 1 | 9.8 |
| March | -4 | 6.5 | 16.9 | -4.7 | 5.3 | 15.4 |
| April | -2.2 | 9.6 | 21.4 | -2.1 | 9.1 | 20.4 |
| May | 2.1 | 13.7 | 25.2 | 1.9 | 13.2 | 24.6 |
| June | 6.1 | 17.7 | 29.2 | 6.6 | 16.9 | 27.1 |
| July | 8.9 | 20.2🔥 | 31.6 | 9.2 | 18.9🔥 | 28.7 |
| August | 8.6 | 20.1 | 31.7 | 8.9 | 18.7 | 28.5 |
| September | 5.4 | 16.2 | 27 | 5.7 | 14.9 | 24.2 |
| October | 0.6 | 11.2 | 21.7 | 0.5 | 10.1 | 19.6 |
| November | -3.2 | 6.1 | 15.3 | -3.6 | 4.9 | 13.3 |
| December | -6.8 | 2.2 | 11.2 | -7.3 | 1.2 | 9.7 |
| Annual Avg | 0 | 10.6 | 21.1 | -0.2 | 9.5 | 19.2 |
Min / mean / max temperature (°C). 🔥 marks each city's hottest month, ❄️ its coldest; shading runs cool blue to warm red.
The same figures plotted out, so the shape of a typical year is easier to see than in a grid. Where the two lines run close together Cologne and Hamburg feel alike; where they separate, they are genuinely different places to be.
Hover or tap any point to read the exact figures. Cologne Hamburg
See how Cologne and Hamburg stack up against other cities. Swipe for more.
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Quick answers to the questions people ask most when comparing Cologne and Hamburg — each drawn straight from the climate figures above.
Cologne is the warmer of the two. It averages daytime highs of 21.1°C (70°F) against 19.2°C (66.6°F) in Hamburg — roughly 1.9°C (3.4°F) warmer by day.
Cologne is hottest in August, averaging highs of about 31.7°C (89°F), while Hamburg peaks in July at around 28.7°C (83.6°F). That makes Cologne the hotter of the two at the height of summer.
Hamburg gets colder. In its coldest month (January) overnight lows average about -9.3°C (15.3°F), compared with -8.2°C (17.2°F) at the low point of the year in Cologne.
Cologne is the wetter city, collecting about 822 mm (32.4 in) of rain a year versus 767 mm (30.2 in) in Hamburg. Cologne is wettest in December and driest in April; Hamburg is wettest in July and driest in April.
Hamburg is the more humid of the two, averaging 85% relative humidity over the year against 82% in Cologne.
The most comfortable months in Cologne are June, July and August, when average temperatures are at their mildest.
Hamburg is at its most pleasant around June, July and August, based on the mildest average temperatures of the year.
Cologne is the warmer city in all 12 months of the year. The gap is widest in August, about 1.4°C (2.5°F), and narrowest in April, about 0.5°C (0.9°F).
Both have a similar seasonal range — around 19.1°C (34.4°F) between the coldest and hottest months — so neither climate is noticeably more extreme than the other.
It depends what matters most to you: choose Cologne for warmer weather, pick Hamburg if you prefer drier conditions and go for Cologne if you want lower humidity. There is no single "better" climate — it comes down to whether you value warmth, dryness or comfort most.
Every figure on this page is calculated from NASA POWER satellite climate data spanning 1981–2025 (45 years). The averages describe the long-term climate of Cologne and Hamburg, not a single year's weather or a short-range forecast.
