Nuuk in Fall
In fall (September, October and November), Nuuk sees average daytime highs around 1°C and overnight lows near -4°C, with 253 mm of precipitation over about 34 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the wettest season of the year.
Over the season highs ease from about 8°C in early September to -6°C by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.
Fall is Nuuk's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Nuuk's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 1°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- -4°C
- Precipitation
- 253 mm
- 34 wet days
- Avg wind
- 14 km/h
- Travel score
- 0.2
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in Nuuk in Fall
Over the season highs ease from about 8°C in early September to -6°C by late November.
A typical fall day in Nuuk reaches about 1°C and drops to -4°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.
How fall really feels in Nuuk
Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 85 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in fall is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Nuuk weather by month
How the three fall months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -10° / -15° | 56 | 9.4 | 11.7 | 4.9 | 0.0 |
| Feb | -10° / -15° | 42 | 7.1 | 9.5 | 7.9 | 0.0 |
| Mar | -8° / -13° | 48 | 7.8 | 9.4 | 11.2 | 0.0 |
| Apr | -2° / -7° | 53 | 8.1 | 9 | 14.6 | 0.0 |
| May | 3° / -2° | 58 | 8.2 | 6.9 | 17.9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 8° / 3° | 65 | 9.6 | 1.9 | 20.2 | 1.4 |
| Jul | 11° / 5° | 62 | 9 | 0.2 | 19.2 | 2.6 |
| Aug | 10° / 5° | 78 | 11.4 | 0.3 | 16.1 | 2.1 |
| Sep | 6° / 2° | 97 | 12.4 | 3.5 | 12.7 | 0.6 |
| Oct | 1° / -4° | 79 | 10.4 | 8.3 | 9.3 | 0.0 |
| Nov | -5° / -10° | 77 | 11.1 | 11.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | -8° / -13° | 62 | 10.5 | 11.7 | 3.8 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Nuuk gets around 253 mm of rain and snow over 34 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 14 km/h across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 14 h 18 min in early September to 4 h 36 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 1.2 kWh/m².
Is fall a good time to visit Nuuk?
Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
fall is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Nuuk.
What to pack for Nuuk in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Nuuk sees daytime highs around 1°C and nights near -4°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 34 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Nuuk in Fall
The nearest coast averages about 3°C across fall — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 5°C and coldest in February near -0°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) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | Bracing |
| Feb | 0 | Bracing |
| Mar | 0 | Bracing |
| Apr | 0 | Bracing |
| May | 1 | Bracing |
| Jun | 3 | Bracing |
| Jul | 5 | Bracing |
| Aug | 5 | Bracing |
| Sep | 4 | Bracing |
| Oct | 3 | Bracing |
| Nov | 2 | Bracing |
| Dec | 1 | Bracing |
UV index in Nuuk in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Nuuk peaks around June 17 at about 5 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 0 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 4 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Level | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Low | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | Low |
| Feb | 0 | Low |
| Mar | 1 | Low |
| Apr | 3 | Moderate |
| May | 3 | Moderate |
| Jun | 5 | Moderate |
| Jul | 4 | Moderate |
| Aug | 3 | Moderate |
| Sep | 2 | Low |
| Oct | 1 | Low |
| Nov | 0 | Low |
| Dec | 0 | Low |
Where is Nuuk?
Nuuk sits at 64.2°N, 51.7°W, 5 m above sea level, in Greenland. The nearest listed city is Keflavik, 1,404 km away.
Topography around Nuuk
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Nuuk.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Nuuk has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 349 m around an average of 21 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,157 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,598 m.
The land around Nuuk is covered by water (65%) within 3 km, water (51%) and grassland (20%) within 16 km, and water (47%), moss and lichen (21%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.
Greenland travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type C / E / F / K
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 77% of US
- price level, 2023
- GDP per capita
- $58,499
- 2023
- Homicide rate
- 5.4
- per 100k, 2016
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
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 Nuuk (64.1835°, -51.7216°, elevation 5 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.