Geneva climate
Geneva is warmest in July, with average highs of 24 °C, and coldest in January, when nights average -1.0 °C. May is the wettest month (140 mm) and February the driest (97 mm). Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.
Across a full year Geneva averages 1,385 mm of rain, 39 days above 25 °C and 65 days below freezing.
Switzerland · population 201,741 · 1991–2020 normals
Temperature below 0 °C to above 30 °C Rain band height is that month’s share of the wettest month
- Warmest month July 24 °C
- Coldest month January -1.0 °C
- Driest month February 97 mm
- Wettest month May 140 mm
- Least cloud July 50 % cloud
- Hottest on record July 36 °C
- Coldest on record February -17 °C
What to expectGeneva through the year
Geneva has a clear annual cycle: average daily highs run from 5.2 °C in January to 24 °C in July, a swing of 18 °C in mean temperature across the year.
Counted across a normal year, 39 days a year reach 25 °C, 6 of them reach 30 °C, 65 nights drop below freezing. The warmest reading in the 1991–2020 record is 36 °C, in July.
Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year, from 97 mm in February to 140 mm in May. There is no dry season to aim for.
Month by month
| Month | Avg high | Rainfall | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.2 °C | 112 mm | 64 % |
| February | 6.4 °C | 97 mm | 61 % |
| March | 10.7 °C | 107 mm | 59 % |
| April | 14.6 °C | 107 mm | 60 % |
| May | 18.3 °C | 140 mm | 62 % |
| June | 22.0 °C | 119 mm | 56 % |
| July | 24.2 °C | 121 mm | 50 % |
| August | 24.1 °C | 114 mm | 51 % |
| September | 19.8 °C | 108 mm | 59 % |
| October | 15.7 °C | 110 mm | 66 % |
| November | 9.5 °C | 123 mm | 69 % |
| December | 5.9 °C | 127 mm | 67 % |
Temperature month by month
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Mean | Record high | Record low | Days above 25 °C | Days above 30 °C | Days below 0 °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.2 °C | -1.0 °C | 1.9 °C | 14.5 °C | -13.9 °C | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| February | 6.4 °C | -0.7 °C | 2.7 °C | 17.6 °C | -17.2 °C | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| March | 10.7 °C | 2.0 °C | 6.4 °C | 23.3 °C | -11.0 °C | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| April | 14.6 °C | 5.2 °C | 10.1 °C | 25.9 °C | -3.5 °C | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| May | 18.3 °C | 9.4 °C | 14.2 °C | 29.8 °C | 0.4 °C | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| June | 22.0 °C | 13.3 °C | 17.9 °C | 33.8 °C | 2.8 °C | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| July | 24.2 °C | 15.4 °C | 20.1 °C | 36.3 °C | 8.2 °C | 14 | 3 | 0 |
| August | 24.1 °C | 15.4 °C | 19.9 °C | 34.9 °C | 7.0 °C | 13 | 3 | 0 |
| September | 19.8 °C | 11.6 °C | 15.7 °C | 30.3 °C | 3.5 °C | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| October | 15.7 °C | 7.6 °C | 11.6 °C | 25.8 °C | -2.1 °C | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| November | 9.5 °C | 2.6 °C | 6.0 °C | 19.6 °C | -10.7 °C | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| December | 5.9 °C | -0.2 °C | 2.7 °C | 15.8 °C | -16.4 °C | 0 | 0 | 15 |
Rain, sun and wind month by month
| Month | Rainfall | Wet days | Daylight | Cloud cover | Humidity | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 112 mm | 12 | 9.0 h/day | 64 % | 82 % | 9.5 km/h |
| February | 97 mm | 11 | 10 h/day | 61 % | 78 % | 10 km/h |
| March | 107 mm | 12 | 12 h/day | 59 % | 75 % | 11 km/h |
| April | 107 mm | 13 | 14 h/day | 60 % | 72 % | 11 km/h |
| May | 140 mm | 15 | 15 h/day | 62 % | 74 % | 11 km/h |
| June | 119 mm | 14 | 16 h/day | 56 % | 74 % | 10 km/h |
| July | 121 mm | 12 | 15 h/day | 50 % | 72 % | 10 km/h |
| August | 114 mm | 12 | 14 h/day | 51 % | 74 % | 9.6 km/h |
| September | 108 mm | 12 | 13 h/day | 59 % | 78 % | 9.7 km/h |
| October | 110 mm | 12 | 11 h/day | 66 % | 82 % | 9.3 km/h |
| November | 123 mm | 13 | 9.5 h/day | 69 % | 84 % | 9.3 km/h |
| December | 127 mm | 13 | 8.6 h/day | 67 % | 83 % | 9.5 km/h |
How Geneva compares
The same four figures for nearby destinations, so the numbers above have something to be read against. Summer high is the warmest month's average high; winter low is the coldest month's average low.
| Destination | Summer high | Winter low | Rain per year | Days above 25 °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva | 24 °C | -1.0 °C | 1,385 mm | 39 |
| Lyon · France | 27 °C | 0.5 °C | 943 mm | 64 |
| Grenoble · France | 26 °C | -0.7 °C | 1,432 mm | 64 |
| Bern · Switzerland | 22 °C | -3.4 °C | 1,126 mm | 20 |
Planning a trip? See the best time to visit Geneva.
QuestionsCommon questions about Geneva’s climate
When is the best time to visit Geneva?
That depends on what you want, so the honest answer is a comparison rather than a single month. June, July, August sit closest to 20 °C on average, July is the warmest month and February the driest. The month-by-month table above has the full picture.
How hot does Geneva get?
In July, the warmest month, daily highs average 24 °C. About 6 days a year pass 30 °C. The highest value in the 1991–2020 record is 36 °C.
How cold does it get in winter?
Nights average -1.0 °C in January, the coldest month. A normal year has 65 nights below freezing.
Which month is wettest in Geneva?
May, averaging 140 mm over 15 days with rain. The driest month is February with 97 mm. The year as a whole averages 1,385 mm.
Are these figures a forecast?
No. They are 1991–2020 climate normals: the average of thirty years, which describes what a month is usually like in Geneva rather than what any particular week will bring. Individual years can differ substantially from the normal.
Data sources and method
- ERA5 / ERA5-Land reanalysis — Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), ECMWF. Copernicus Licence
- Open-Meteo — Open-Meteo.com. CC BY 4.0
- NOAA OISST v2.1 — NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory. Public domain
- GeoNames — GeoNames.org. CC BY 4.0
- Normal period
- 1991–2020
- Dataset version
- era5-1991-2020-scores1.1
- Last processed
Measured values come from ERA5 reanalysis and are reproduced unchanged. Calculated by us: monthly rankings, daylight hours, beach and comfort scores. Full formulas are on the methodology page.
Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.