Nuuk weather in February

In February, Nuuk sees average daytime highs of -10°C and overnight lows near -15°C, with 42 mm of precipitation across 7.1 wet days and about 7.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -10°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in February, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 6 h 24 min at the start of February to 9 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, February is Nuuk's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nuuk's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-10°
11th warmest
Overnight low
-15°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
42 mm
7.1 wet days
Daylight
8 hours
8:42 AM – 4:40 PM
Cloud cover
75%
10th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
0.93 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Nuuk is capital of Greenland.

Density
22/km²
people per km²
Founded
1721

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in February

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near -10°C through the month.

A typical February day in Nuuk reaches about -10°C in the afternoon and slips back to -15°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -19°C and -1°C. Set against its neighbours, February runs on par with January and about 2°C cooler than March.

-20°-10°151015202528
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-10-15
2-10-15
3-10-15
4-10-15
5-10-15
6-10-15
7-10-15
8-10-15
9-10-15
10-10-15
11-10-15
12-10-15
13-10-15
14-10-15
15-10-15
16-10-15
17-10-15
18-10-15
19-10-15
20-10-15
21-10-15
22-10-15
23-10-15
24-10-15
25-10-15
26-10-15
27-10-15
28-10-15

How February really feels in Nuuk

Once humidity and wind are folded in, February averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 28 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
28
28 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in February is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Nuuk weather by month

How February compares with the rest of the year at a glance. February is the 11th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-10° / -15°569.411.74.90.0
Feb-10° / -15°427.19.57.90.0
Mar-8° / -13°487.89.411.20.0
Apr-2° / -7°538.1914.60.0
May / -2°588.26.917.90.0
Jun / 659.61.920.21.4
Jul11° / 6290.219.22.6
Aug10° / 7811.40.316.12.1
Sep / 9712.43.512.70.6
Oct / -4°7910.48.39.30.0
Nov-5° / -10°7711.111.360.0
Dec-8° / -13°6210.511.73.80.0

Cloud cover in February

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in February.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of February, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 74%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12179
22179
32179
42179
52179
62179
72179
82179
92179
102278
112278
122278
132278
142377
152575
162674
172674
182773
192872
202971
213070
223070
233169
243169
253268
263268
273367
283466

Chance of precipitation in February

Any precipitationSnow

Nuuk gets around 42 mm of rain and snow over 7.1 wet days in February, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 26% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 10 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202528
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13139
23038
32937
42836
52736
62735
72635
82635
92635
102635
112636
122636
132636
142636
152636
162636
172636
182635
192535
202535
212534
222534
232533
242533
252532
262532
272531
282530

Humidity in February

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of February feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, February lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100

Wind in February

Winds average 14 km/h in February.

Across February, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202528
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in February

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 6 h 24 min at the start of February to 9 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 180 minutes over February. Sunrise moves from 9:27 AM to 7:58 AM, and sunset from 3:54 PM to 5:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202528
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
16.49:273:54
26.59:243:57
36.79:214:00
46.89:184:04
56.99:154:07
67.09:124:10
77.19:094:14
87.29:054:17
97.39:024:21
107.48:594:24
117.58:564:27
127.68:524:31
137.78:494:34
147.98:464:37
158.08:424:40
168.18:394:44
178.28:364:47
188.38:324:50
198.48:294:54
208.58:264:57
218.68:225:00
228.78:195:03
238.98:155:07
249.08:125:10
259.18:085:13
269.28:055:16
279.38:015:19
289.47:585:23

Solar energy in February

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in February, about 0.93 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.06 kWh/m² to a high of 5.72 kWh/m² in May across the year — February's 0.93 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

00.511.522.5151015202528
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.5Dim
20.5Dim
30.5Dim
40.6Dim
50.6Dim
60.6Dim
70.6Dim
80.7Dim
90.7Dim
100.7Dim
110.8Dim
120.8Dim
130.8Dim
140.9Dim
150.9Dim
161.0Dim
171.0Dim
181.1Dim
191.1Dim
201.2Dim
211.2Dim
221.3Dim
231.3Dim
241.4Dim
251.4Dim
261.5Dim
271.5Dim
281.6Dim
Planning a trip in February

Is February a good time to visit Nuuk?

Our two travel scores rate February for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

February is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Nuuk.

What to pack for Nuuk in February

From February's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In February, Nuuk sees daytime highs around -10°C and nights near -15°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Nuuk in February

The nearest coast averages about -0°C in February — 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.

-2°0°2°4°6°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan0Bracing
Feb0Bracing
Mar0Bracing
Apr0Bracing
May1Bracing
Jun3Bracing
Jul5Bracing
Aug5Bracing
Sep4Bracing
Oct3Bracing
Nov2Bracing
Dec1Bracing

UV index in Nuuk in February

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in February peaks around 0. 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJun 17UV 5Dec 19UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr3Moderate
May3Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep2Low
Oct1Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

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.

KeflavikReykjanesbærKópavogurHafnarfjörðurReykjavikAkureyriVik

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.

3 km
349 m
16 km
1,157 m
80 km
1,598 m
grasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewaterwetlandmoss and lichen
February weather nearby: Keflavik 1,404 km · Reykjanesbær 1,405 km · Kópavogur 1,432 km · Hafnarfjörður 1,432 km · Reykjavik 1,432 km · Akureyri 1,574 km · Vik 1,590 km · Corner Brook 1,734 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. 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).