Nuuk in Summer
In summer (June, July and August), Nuuk sees average daytime highs around 10°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 205 mm of precipitation over about 30 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs climb from about 7°C in early June to 9°C by late August. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels dry.
Summer is Nuuk's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Nuuk's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 10°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 4°C
- Precipitation
- 205 mm
- 30 wet days
- Avg wind
- 12 km/h
- Travel score
- 2.0
- best season of the year
- Months
- Jun · Jul · Aug
Temperature in Nuuk in Summer
Over the season highs climb from about 7°C in early June to 9°C by late August.
A typical summer day in Nuuk reaches about 10°C and drops to 4°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is July, the coolest June.
How summer really feels in Nuuk
Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 19 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in summer is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Nuuk weather by month
How the three summer months (June, July and August) 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 Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Nuuk gets around 205 mm of rain and snow over 30 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 12 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 19 h 30 min in early June to 14 h 24 min by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Summer
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 4.5 kWh/m².
Is summer a good time to visit Nuuk?
Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
summer is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Nuuk.
What to pack for Nuuk in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Nuuk sees daytime highs around 10°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 30 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Nuuk in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 4°C across summer — 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 Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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.