Climate and Average Weather Year Round at Danmarkshavn Greenland

At Danmarkshavn, the summers are short, very cold, and partly cloudy and the winters are long, frigid, snowy, windy, and overcast. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from -14°F to 44°F and is rarely below -27°F or above 52°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Danmarkshavn for warm-weather activities is from mid to late July.

The warm season lasts for 2.9 months, from June 6 to September 3, with an average daily high temperature above 35°F. The hottest month of the year at Danmarkshavn is July, with an average high of 43°F and low of 35°F.

The cold season lasts for 5.4 months, from November 1 to April 12, with an average daily high temperature below 7°F. The coldest month of the year at Danmarkshavn is February, with an average low of -14°F and high of -2°F.

At Danmarkshavn, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year at Danmarkshavn begins around April 6 and lasts for 6.8 months, ending around October 31.

The clearest month of the year at Danmarkshavn is June, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 52% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 31 and lasts for 5.2 months, ending around April 6.

The cloudiest month of the year at Danmarkshavn is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 81% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days at Danmarkshavn varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 9.0 months, from July 14 to April 14, with a greater than 11% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days at Danmarkshavn is January, with an average of 5.0 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 3.0 months, from April 14 to July 14. The month with the fewest wet days at Danmarkshavn is June, with an average of 1.4 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation at Danmarkshavn changes throughout the year.

Snow alone is the most common for 9.2 months, from September 6 to June 12. The month with the most days of snow alone at Danmarkshavn is January, with an average of 5.0 days.

Rain alone is the most common for 2.8 months, from June 12 to September 6. The month with the most days of rain alone at Danmarkshavn is August, with an average of 3.2 days.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Danmarkshavn experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 2.4 months, from July 2 to September 14, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain at Danmarkshavn is August, with an average rainfall of 1.0 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 9.6 months, from September 14 to July 2. The month with the least rain at Danmarkshavn is February, with an average rainfall of 0.0 inches.

Snowfall

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Danmarkshavn experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly snowfall.

The snowy period of the year lasts for 10 months, from August 17 to June 18, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow at Danmarkshavn is January, with an average snowfall of 14.1 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 2.0 months, from June 18 to August 17. The least snow falls around July 24, with an average total accumulation of 0.1 inches.

Due to its extreme latitude, Danmarkshavn experiences polar day (also known as the midnight Sun) during the summer and polar night during the winter. These are periods of time in which the sun is continuously above or below the horizon for more than one day. The precise start and end dates of polar day and night vary from year to year and depend on the precise location and elevation of the observer, and the local topography.

In the summer at Danmarkshavn during 2024, the Sun is continuously above the horizon for 3.9 months, rising at 12:38 AM on April 22, and not setting again until 11:56 PM on August 19.

In the winter at Danmarkshavn during 2024, the Sun is continuously below the horizon for 3.4 months, setting at 11:06 AM on October 30, and not rising again until 10:38 AM on February 12.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed at Danmarkshavn during 2024, starting in the spring on March 31, lasting 6.9 months, and ending in the fall on October 26.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

The perceived humidity level at Danmarkshavn, as measured by the percentage of time in which the humidity comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable, does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining a virtually constant 0% throughout.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed at Danmarkshavn experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 7.3 months, from September 11 to April 20, with average wind speeds of more than 11.9 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year at Danmarkshavn is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 15.9 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 4.7 months, from April 20 to September 11. The calmest month of the year at Danmarkshavn is June, with an average hourly wind speed of 7.7 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction at Danmarkshavn is from the north throughout the year.

Danmarkshavn is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining within 2°F of 31°F throughout.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is at Danmarkshavn throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Danmarkshavn for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid to late July.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

Temperatures at Danmarkshavn are sufficiently cold year round that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss the growing season in these terms. We nevertheless include the chart below as an illustration of the distribution of temperatures experienced throughout the year.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 2.1 months, from May 16 to July 18, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.0 kWh. The brightest month of the year at Danmarkshavn is June, with an average of 7.4 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 6.4 months, from September 16 to March 27, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 1.5 kWh. The darkest month of the year at Danmarkshavn is December, with an average of 0.0 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Danmarkshavn are 76.767 deg latitude, -18.667 deg longitude, and 95 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Danmarkshavn contains significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 577 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 117 feet. Within 10 miles contains significant variations in elevation (1,339 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (3,314 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Danmarkshavn is covered by water (85%), within 10 miles by water (53%) and sparse vegetation (28%), and within 50 miles by water (68%) and snow and glaciers (18%).