Skien climate — normals and trends
Skien (Norway) has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 5.4 °C and it receives 1,047 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (15.9 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-4.8 °C). Rainfall peaks in August.
Skien averages 142 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 137 rainy days per year.
Skien has warmed by +2.9 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.34 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 165 to 119 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 32.0 °C (on 11 August 1975) and the coldest -28.0 °C (on 10 February 1985).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
SkienTelemark
- coords
- 59.21°, 9.61°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
5.4°C
Average daily high
8.9°C
Average daily low
1.9°C
Annual rainfall
1,047mm
Sunshine / day
8.0h
Mean relative humidity
79%
Average peak wind
13.8km/h
Seasonal range
20.7°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
142 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
137 d/yr
Annual snowfall
207.3 cm
Average feels-like high
6.1 °C
Average feels-like low
-1.2 °C
Average peak gust
34.0 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
9.9 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.9 °C
since 1940
+0.3 °C per decade · r² = 0.45 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
32.0 °C
11 August 1975
Coldest day
-28.0 °C
10 February 1985
Wettest day
75 mm
20 August 1951
Windiest day
39.7 km/h
4 October 2025
Strongest gust
104.8 km/h
16 October 1987
Hottest feels-like
31.9 °C
30 June 1953
Coldest feels-like
-32.9 °C
26 January 1942
Snowiest day
34.0 cm
5 March 1972
Sunniest day
17.4 h
21 June 1940
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -0.5 °C | +1.9 °C | 121 mm | +37 mm |
| Feb | 1.4 °C | +2.3 °C | 47 mm | -16 mm |
| Mar | 8.0 °C | +4.6 °C | 27 mm | -36 mm |
| Apr | 12.9 °C | +4.5 °C | 46 mm | -12 mm |
| May | 16.2 °C | +1.9 °C | 38 mm | -37 mm |
| Jun | 18.5 °C | +0.3 °C | 59 mm | -27 mm |
| Jul | 23.5 °C | +3.4 °C | 146 mm | +43 mm |
| Aug | 19.7 °C | +0.7 °C | 94 mm | -19 mm |
| Sep | 15.8 °C | +1.0 °C | 194 mm | +91 mm |
| Oct | 10.8 °C | +1.6 °C | 160 mm | +54 mm |
| Nov | 5.5 °C | +2.2 °C | 100 mm | -9 mm |
| Dec | 3.7 °C | +4.1 °C | 138 mm | +51 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Skien?
Skien has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 5.4 °C and it receives 1,047 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Skien?
The hottest day measured in Skien between 1940 and 2025 was 11 August 1975, reaching 32.0 °C.
What is the coldest day in Skien?
The coldest day measured in Skien between 1940 and 2025 was 10 February 1985, at -28.0 °C.
Does it snow in Skien?
Yes. Skien gets on average 207.3 cm of snow per year and has around 142 frost days.
Has the climate of Skien warmed?
Yes: Skien warmed by +2.9 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Skien?
The wettest day measured in Skien between 1940 and 2025 was 20 August 1951, with 75 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Skien?
The windiest day measured in Skien between 1940 and 2025 was 4 October 2025, with winds reaching 39.7 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Skien?
The warmest month in Skien is July (15.9 °C on average); the coldest is January (-4.8 °C).
How much does it rain in Skien?
Skien receives on average 1,047 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 137 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Skien?
Skien gets on average 8.0 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 2,920 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Skien?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Skien between 1940 and 2025 was 5 March 1972, with 34.0 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Skien?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Skien.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Skien?
In Skien, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 31.9 °C on 30 June 1953, and the lowest was -32.9 °C on 26 January 1942.
Compare Skien with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Skien