Climate and average weather in Kiel
In Kiel, the summers are mild, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are cold, snowy, and mostly cloudy.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Kiel typically varies from -0°C to 22°C, and is rarely below -7°C or above 28°C. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Kiel for warm-weather activities is from mid May to late September.
- Hottest
- Jul
- 22°
- Coldest
- Jan
- -0°
- Wettest
- Jul
- 74 mm
- Driest
- Apr
- 43 mm
- Rain / yr
- 680 mm
- 134 wet days
- Daylight
- 7.0–17.0 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 7 m
- 54.3°N
- Clearest
- Apr
- 62% cloud
- Air quality
- Moderate
- PM2.5 12.2 µg/m³ · 2019
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Kiel weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around mid May to late September.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Kiel, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 3.6 months, from May 28 to September 15, with daily high temperatures above 18°C. The hottest month of the year in Kiel is July, with an average high of 22°C and low of 13°C.
The cool season lasts 3.8 months, from November 18 to March 14, with daily high temperatures below 7°C. The coldest month of the year in Kiel is January, with an average low of -0°C and high of 4°C.
Days typically run about 6°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 8°C) in July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 4 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 13 | 8 | 4 |
| Avg low (°C) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | 0 |
| Feb | 4 | 0 |
| Mar | 7 | 1 |
| Apr | 12 | 4 |
| May | 16 | 8 |
| Jun | 19 | 11 |
| Jul | 22 | 13 |
| Aug | 22 | 13 |
| Sep | 18 | 11 |
| Oct | 13 | 7 |
| Nov | 8 | 3 |
| Dec | 4 | 1 |
How hot and cold Kiel really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -6°C (around January 30), with roughly 151 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C), worst in January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 4 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 18 | 13 | 8 | 4 |
| Air high (°C) | 4 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 13 | 8 | 4 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | -5 | -5 | -3 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 4 | 0 | -4 |
| Air low (°C) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | 4 | -5 | 0 |
| Feb | 4 | 4 | -5 | 0 |
| Mar | 7 | 7 | -3 | 1 |
| Apr | 12 | 12 | 1 | 4 |
| May | 16 | 16 | 5 | 8 |
| Jun | 19 | 19 | 11 | 11 |
| Jul | 22 | 22 | 13 | 13 |
| Aug | 21 | 22 | 13 | 13 |
| Sep | 18 | 18 | 10 | 11 |
| Oct | 13 | 13 | 4 | 7 |
| Nov | 8 | 8 | 0 | 3 |
| Dec | 4 | 4 | -4 | 1 |
Average hourly temperature in Kiel
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 22°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near -0°C.
Kiel weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4° / -0° | 57 | 11.9 | 3 | 7.7 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 4° / -0° | 45 | 10 | 3.5 | 9.3 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 7° / 1° | 49 | 10.5 | 2.2 | 11.5 | 1.0 |
| Apr | 12° / 4° | 43 | 9.7 | 0.3 | 13.7 | 3.2 |
| May | 16° / 8° | 57 | 10.6 | 0 | 15.7 | 5.0 |
| Jun | 19° / 11° | 66 | 11.8 | 0 | 16.8 | 5.8 |
| Jul | 22° / 13° | 74 | 12.5 | 0 | 16.4 | 6.1 |
| Aug | 22° / 13° | 73 | 12.7 | 0 | 14.7 | 6.1 |
| Sep | 18° / 11° | 54 | 10.4 | 0 | 12.5 | 5.4 |
| Oct | 13° / 7° | 56 | 11.2 | 0 | 10.2 | 3.3 |
| Nov | 8° / 3° | 50 | 10.9 | 0.7 | 8.2 | 1.1 |
| Dec | 4° / 1° | 57 | 12 | 2.8 | 7.2 | 0.0 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Kiel gets about 680 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is often wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 3.1 months, from around Jun 5 to Sep 6, peaking in June at about 41% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Apr 15.
July is the wettest month by volume, with 74 mm over about 13 wet days; April is the driest, with 43 mm. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 38 | 36 | 34 | 32 | 34 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 35 | 37 | 37 | 38 |
| Rain days | 12 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 12 |
| Feb | 36 | 10 |
| Mar | 34 | 11 |
| Apr | 32 | 10 |
| May | 34 | 11 |
| Jun | 39 | 12 |
| Jul | 40 | 13 |
| Aug | 41 | 13 |
| Sep | 35 | 10 |
| Oct | 37 | 11 |
| Nov | 37 | 11 |
| Dec | 38 | 12 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Kiel collects about 680 mm of rain across 134 wet days — roughly 57 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. July is the wettest month with 74 mm, while April is the driest at just 43 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 31% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 57 | 45 | 49 | 43 | 57 | 66 | 74 | 73 | 54 | 56 | 50 | 57 |
| Rain days | 12 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 |
| Snow days | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 12 | 3 |
| Feb | 45 | 10 | 4 |
| Mar | 49 | 11 | 2 |
| Apr | 43 | 10 | 0 |
| May | 57 | 11 | 0 |
| Jun | 66 | 12 | 0 |
| Jul | 74 | 13 | 0 |
| Aug | 73 | 13 | 0 |
| Sep | 54 | 10 | 0 |
| Oct | 56 | 11 | 0 |
| Nov | 50 | 11 | 1 |
| Dec | 57 | 12 | 3 |
Snow in Kiel
Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.
Kiel averages about 13 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Nov 14 to Apr 10 — about 4.9 months.
February is snowiest, with roughly 4 days of snow and an estimated 14 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 43 cm of snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow days | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Snowfall (cm) | 10 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| Snow days | Snowfall (cm) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | 10 |
| Feb | 4 | 14 |
| Mar | 2 | 8 |
| Apr | 0 | 1 |
| May | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 1 | 2 |
| Dec | 3 | 9 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Kiel, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around March 21 and lasts for 6.6 months, ending around October 7. The clearest month is April, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 41% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around October 8 and lasts for 5.4 months, ending around March 20. The cloudiest month is December, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 81% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 20 | 21 | 29 | 41 | 40 | 36 | 38 | 41 | 35 | 29 | 23 | 19 |
| Cloudier (%) | 80 | 79 | 71 | 59 | 60 | 64 | 62 | 59 | 65 | 71 | 77 | 81 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | 80 |
| Feb | 21 | 79 |
| Mar | 29 | 71 |
| Apr | 41 | 59 |
| May | 40 | 60 |
| Jun | 36 | 64 |
| Jul | 38 | 62 |
| Aug | 41 | 59 |
| Sep | 35 | 65 |
| Oct | 29 | 71 |
| Nov | 23 | 77 |
| Dec | 19 | 81 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 21, brings about 17 hours of light; the shortest, around December 21, only 7 hours — a swing of roughly 10 hours.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 7.7 | 9.3 | 11.5 | 13.7 | 15.7 | 16.8 | 16.4 | 14.7 | 12.5 | 10.2 | 8.2 | 7.2 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 8:40 | 7:53 | 6:45 | 5:27 | 4:23 | 3:52 | 4:12 | 5:03 | 6:01 | 6:58 | 8:00 | 8:43 |
| Sunset (PM) | 4:17 | 5:15 | 6:13 | 7:13 | 8:08 | 8:47 | 8:39 | 7:44 | 6:27 | 5:11 | 4:10 | 3:48 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7.7 | 8:40 | 4:17 |
| Feb | 9.3 | 7:53 | 5:15 |
| Mar | 11.5 | 6:45 | 6:13 |
| Apr | 13.7 | 5:27 | 7:13 |
| May | 15.7 | 4:23 | 8:08 |
| Jun | 16.8 | 3:52 | 8:47 |
| Jul | 16.4 | 4:12 | 8:39 |
| Aug | 14.7 | 5:03 | 7:44 |
| Sep | 12.5 | 6:01 | 6:27 |
| Oct | 10.2 | 6:58 | 5:11 |
| Nov | 8.2 | 8:00 | 4:10 |
| Dec | 7.2 | 8:43 | 3:48 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Kiel averages about 5 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 3 and 8 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 2.8 months, from around Mar 19 to Jun 12. The sunniest month is April, with roughly 8 sunny days (gloomy).
The greyest month is November, down near 3 sunny days — about 61% fewer than the April peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Sky | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Gloomy |
| Feb | 3 | Gloomy |
| Mar | 5 | Gloomy |
| Apr | 7 | Gloomy |
| May | 7 | Gloomy |
| Jun | 5 | Gloomy |
| Jul | 6 | Gloomy |
| Aug | 6 | Gloomy |
| Sep | 5 | Gloomy |
| Oct | 5 | Gloomy |
| Nov | 3 | Gloomy |
| Dec | 3 | Gloomy |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Kiel, how humid it feels changes noticeably over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 3.0 months, from around June 13 to September 10. The muggiest month is August, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 15% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 11 to June 12, and April is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 95 | 76 | 47 | 47 | 79 | 96 | 100 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 20 | 40 | 38 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Muggy (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 95 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 76 | 20 | 4 | 0 |
| Jul | 47 | 40 | 12 | 1 |
| Aug | 47 | 38 | 14 | 1 |
| Sep | 79 | 18 | 2 | 0 |
| Oct | 96 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Kiel is typically light breeze, near 15 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 5.6 months, from around Oct 16 to Apr 3. The windiest month is January, averaging about 18 km/h (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Apr 4 to Oct 15, with July the calmest month at about 14 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 18 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 |
| Feels | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | light breeze |
| Feb | 17 | light breeze |
| Mar | 17 | light breeze |
| Apr | 15 | light breeze |
| May | 14 | light breeze |
| Jun | 14 | light breeze |
| Jul | 14 | light breeze |
| Aug | 14 | light breeze |
| Sep | 15 | light breeze |
| Oct | 16 | light breeze |
| Nov | 16 | light breeze |
| Dec | 17 | light breeze |
Best time to visit Kiel
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Kiel throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around late May, Kiel is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Kiel for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid May to late September, with a peak score in the last week of July.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 5.0 | 5.8 | 6.1 | 6.1 | 5.4 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 0.0 |
| Rating | poor | poor | poor | poor | fair | good | good | good | fair | poor | poor | poor |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.0 | poor |
| Feb | 0.0 | poor |
| Mar | 1.0 | poor |
| Apr | 3.1 | poor |
| May | 5.0 | fair |
| Jun | 5.8 | good |
| Jul | 6.1 | good |
| Aug | 6.1 | good |
| Sep | 5.4 | fair |
| Oct | 3.3 | poor |
| Nov | 1.1 | poor |
| Dec | 0.0 | poor |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Kiel for hot-weather activities is from mid July to late August, with a peak score in the last week of July.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Kiel, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 22°C), the essentials are rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 4°C), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear.
In July, Kiel sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Kiel
Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 32 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°C and coldest in February near 2°C.
The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 4 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Bracing |
| Feb | 2 | Bracing |
| Mar | 3 | Bracing |
| Apr | 5 | Bracing |
| May | 11 | Bracing |
| Jun | 15 | Cool |
| Jul | 18 | Cool |
| Aug | 19 | Cool |
| Sep | 16 | Cool |
| Oct | 12 | Bracing |
| Nov | 9 | Bracing |
| Dec | 4 | Bracing |
UV index (midday) in Kiel by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kiel peaks around June 23 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 0 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Level | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | High | High | Moderate | Low | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 1 | Low |
| Mar | 2 | Moderate |
| Apr | 3 | Moderate |
| May | 5 | High |
| Jun | 5 | High |
| Jul | 5 | High |
| Aug | 5 | High |
| Sep | 4 | Moderate |
| Oct | 2 | Low |
| Nov | 1 | Low |
| Dec | 0 | Low |
Average hourly UV index in Kiel
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in June the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 7 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended). Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 | 6.5 | 7 | 6.5 | 6 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 2.5 | 0 |
| May | 6.5 | 0 |
| Jun | 7 | 0 |
| Jul | 6.5 | 0 |
| Aug | 6 | 0 |
| Sep | 3.5 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Air quality in Kiel by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Kiel is worst in April — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.8× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Kiel's WHO annual average of 12.2 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 10 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Level | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Good |
| Feb | 11 | Good |
| Mar | 15 | Moderate |
| Apr | 16 | Moderate |
| May | 14 | Moderate |
| Jun | 14 | Moderate |
| Jul | 13 | Moderate |
| Aug | 14 | Moderate |
| Sep | 12 | Moderate |
| Oct | 10 | Good |
| Nov | 9 | Good |
| Dec | 8 | Good |
Growing season
The growing season in Kiel typically lasts about 325 days, from around February 25 to January 15 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 13 to November 7.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 48 | 47 | 65 | 90 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 97 | 82 | 58 |
| Frost nights | 31 | 28 | 31 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 31 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 31 |
| Feb | 47 | 28 |
| Mar | 65 | 31 |
| Apr | 90 | 15 |
| May | 99 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 97 | 0 |
| Nov | 82 | 25 |
| Dec | 58 | 31 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Kiel banks about 811 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 152 | 230 | 229 | 123 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 0 |
| Apr | 0 |
| May | 62 |
| Jun | 152 |
| Jul | 230 |
| Aug | 229 |
| Sep | 123 |
| Oct | 14 |
| Nov | 0 |
| Dec | 0 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Kiel receives about 2.9 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — moderate — with a clear seasonal swing between 0.4 and 5.5 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 5.8 months, from around Mar 23 to Sep 15. The brightest month is June, averaging about 5.4 kWh/m² (bright).
The dimmest month is December, down near 0.4 kWh/m² — roughly 92% less than the June peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 0.6 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 4.2 | 5.2 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 4.3 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Level | Dim | Dim | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Dim | Dim | Dim |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.6 | Dim |
| Feb | 1.3 | Dim |
| Mar | 2.5 | Moderate |
| Apr | 4.2 | Bright |
| May | 5.2 | Bright |
| Jun | 5.4 | Bright |
| Jul | 5.2 | Bright |
| Aug | 4.3 | Bright |
| Sep | 2.9 | Moderate |
| Oct | 1.6 | Dim |
| Nov | 0.7 | Dim |
| Dec | 0.4 | Dim |
Where is Kiel?
Kiel sits at 54.3°N, 10.1°E, 7 m above sea level, in Germany. The nearest listed city is Elmschenhagen, 5.0 km away.
Topography around Kiel
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Kiel.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Kiel has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 79 m around an average of 24 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 105 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 275 m.
The land around Kiel is covered by trees (45%) and artificial surfaces (40%) within 3 km, cropland (35%), trees (29%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and water (32%), cropland (30%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.
Germany travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type C / F
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 80% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $60,496
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.9 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 100%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 0.9
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 3.8
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- English
- Very high
- EF EPI 615
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Kiel (54.3213°, 10.1349°, elevation 7 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).