Winterthur climate — normals and trends
Winterthur (Switzerland) has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 9.0 °C and it receives 1,092 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 (18.3 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-0.5 °C). Rainfall peaks in May.
Winterthur averages 86 frost days, 5 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 157 rainy days per year.
Winterthur has warmed by +2.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.29 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 109 to 63 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 36.7 °C (on 13 August 2003) and the coldest -26.5 °C (on 19 January 1940).
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
WinterthurCanton of Zurich
- coords
- 47.51°, 8.72°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
9.0°C
Average daily high
13.1°C
Average daily low
5.4°C
Annual rainfall
1,092mm
Sunshine / day
8.5h
Mean relative humidity
79%
Average peak wind
11.7km/h
Seasonal range
18.8°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
86 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
5 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
157 d/yr
Annual snowfall
94.6 cm
Average feels-like high
11.4 °C
Average feels-like low
3.2 °C
Average peak gust
29.6 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
1 d/yr
Solar radiation
12.3 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.5 °C
since 1940
+0.3 °C per decade · r² = 0.58 · 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
36.7 °C
13 August 2003
Coldest day
-26.5 °C
19 January 1940
Wettest day
64 mm
11 July 1956
Windiest day
46.2 km/h
26 December 1999
Strongest gust
128.5 km/h
26 December 1999
Hottest feels-like
38.2 °C
27 June 2019
Coldest feels-like
-31.4 °C
19 January 1940
Snowiest day
21.4 cm
4 March 2006
Sunniest day
15.0 h
26 May 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 | 4.9 °C | +2.4 °C | 93 mm | +15 mm |
| Feb | 5.7 °C | +1.0 °C | 34 mm | -39 mm |
| Mar | 11.8 °C | +2.5 °C | 61 mm | -16 mm |
| Apr | 16.7 °C | +3.3 °C | 59 mm | -32 mm |
| May | 18.6 °C | +1.0 °C | 115 mm | +1 mm |
| Jun | 26.6 °C | +5.6 °C | 55 mm | -60 mm |
| Jul | 24.1 °C | +1.0 °C | 153 mm | +48 mm |
| Aug | 25.0 °C | +2.4 °C | 174 mm | +68 mm |
| Sep | 19.1 °C | +0.2 °C | 142 mm | +57 mm |
| Oct | 13.4 °C | -0.2 °C | 84 mm | +9 mm |
| Nov | 7.9 °C | +0.6 °C | 96 mm | +9 mm |
| Dec | 4.3 °C | +0.8 °C | 27 mm | -57 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 Winterthur?
Winterthur has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 9.0 °C and it receives 1,092 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Winterthur?
The hottest day measured in Winterthur between 1940 and 2025 was 13 August 2003, reaching 36.7 °C.
What is the coldest day in Winterthur?
The coldest day measured in Winterthur between 1940 and 2025 was 19 January 1940, at -26.5 °C.
Does it snow in Winterthur?
Yes. Winterthur gets on average 94.6 cm of snow per year and has around 86 frost days.
Has the climate of Winterthur warmed?
Yes: Winterthur warmed by +2.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Winterthur?
The wettest day measured in Winterthur between 1940 and 2025 was 11 July 1956, with 64 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Winterthur?
The windiest day measured in Winterthur between 1940 and 2025 was 26 December 1999, with winds reaching 46.2 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Winterthur?
The warmest month in Winterthur is July (18.3 °C on average); the coldest is January (-0.5 °C).
How much does it rain in Winterthur?
Winterthur receives on average 1,092 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 157 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Winterthur?
Winterthur gets on average 8.5 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,103 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Winterthur?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Winterthur between 1940 and 2025 was 4 March 2006, with 21.4 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Winterthur?
Yes: Winterthur has on average 1 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Winterthur?
In Winterthur, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 38.2 °C on 27 June 2019, and the lowest was -31.4 °C on 19 January 1940.
Compare Winterthur with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Winterthur