Climate & Weather in Vienna

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Climate

Vienna is located at 48°12 ‘ N and 16°22 ‘ E. The centre of Vienna has an altitude of 171 metres; various places in Vienna are in the range from 151 to 524 metres. Officially, the climate in Vienna is classified as humid continental.

Austria is a landlocked country and Vienna is situated near the middle of Europe. Therefore, the climate is rather continental in nature. Various influences meet here to create the weather at a moment. Often these are cold winds from the east, which bring very dry continental weather (and very cold in winter). Western winds, also common in Vienna, usually bring more rain. From the south, the Alps often serve as barrier against bad weather.

Temperatures

Due to the relatively continental temperate climate temperatures vary significantly during the year. Summers are usually hot with the maximums in the 20-30 °C range (68-86 °F) on most days. On really hot days, which are not uncommon, the temperature can easily exceed 30 °C. On the coldest days in summer maximum daily temperature can get as low as 15 °C (59 °F).

Long term average in the coldest months in winter (the one coldest month is January) is around zero, but temperatures often drop substantially below this mark; -10 °C (14 °F) and even -20°C (4 °F) are experienced at least few times every winter, though these can already be considered extremes.

Sunshine

On average Vienna gets seven to nine bad weather days (with rain, snow, and little sunshine) per month. There are roughly two thousand hours of sunshine in Vienna annually, a common figure for Central Europe. For comparison, London gets 1,600 hours on average, New York 2,400, and the sunniest Mediterranean cities (like Seville in Spain or Faro in Portugal) get around 3,000 hours per year.

Rain & Wind

Precipitation in Vienna is similar to other places in Central Europe. Annually Vienna gets 620 mm (24 inches) of rainfall on average. The rains are relatively evenly distributed over the year, but winter is generally drier and summer rainier. June and July are the two months with the highest probability of rain here, though the seasonal differences are not that big. In winter it snows quite often, but the snow mostly melts fast. Winds can be strong. In summer, thunderstorms are relatively common.

When is the best time to visit?

Based only on weather, the best odds are in spring, early summer, or early autumn. However, there are other factors you should consider when timing your trip to Vienna, like the season-specific events and attractions.