Nuuk in Spring
In spring (March, April and May), Nuuk sees average daytime highs around -2°C and overnight lows near -7°C, with 159 mm of precipitation over about 24 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about -10°C in early March to 6°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.
Spring is Nuuk's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Nuuk's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- -2°C
- 3rd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- -7°C
- Precipitation
- 159 mm
- 24 wet days
- Avg wind
- 13 km/h
- Travel score
- 0.0
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Nuuk in Spring
Over the season highs climb from about -10°C in early March to 6°C by late May.
A typical spring day in Nuuk reaches about -2°C and drops to -7°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.
How spring really feels in Nuuk
Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 92 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in spring is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Nuuk weather by month
How the three spring months (March, April and May) 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 Spring
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time across spring.
Chance of precipitation in Spring
Nuuk gets around 159 mm of rain and snow over 24 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Spring
Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Spring
Winds average 13 km/h across spring.
Sunrise & sunset in Spring
Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min in early March to 19 h 24 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Spring
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 4.2 kWh/m².
Is spring a good time to visit Nuuk?
Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
spring is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Nuuk.
What to pack for Nuuk in Spring
From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In spring, Nuuk sees daytime highs around -2°C and nights near -7°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 24 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Nuuk in Spring
The nearest coast averages about 1°C across spring — 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 Spring
Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 2. 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.