Climate and Weather in Helsinki, Finland

The climate of Helsinki

What is the capital of Finland? Helsinki is the capital city of Finland. Due to its location at 60° 10′ 0″ NB, the summer nights are short and the winter nights are long. The summer nights here in the second half of June barely last longer than 5 hours. It doesn’t really get dark during this period. It looks more like a prolonged twilight than a real night. If you go to Helsinki for a few days, you have to get used to this. As long as you’re out at night, the darkness won’t encourage you to go to bed. Helsinki has a continental climate, which is heavily influenced by the Gulf of Finland. A continental climate is characterized by large differences in the seasons. The winters are very cold, with an average of -5 degrees Celsius, while the summers are fairly warm with an average of 17 degrees. In the summer months, the mercury can even exceed 25 degrees. When you experience this, the city shows itself from its most beautiful side. The inhabitants of Helsinki mainly live outside during summer days. All kinds of events are held, preferably during good weather. Think of outdoor concerts, markets and other outdoor activities. People flock to terraces or go for a picnic in the park or on the waterfront. The winter months, on the other hand, are very gloomy. December is the darkest. For much of the month, the day lasts less than 6 hours. If the weather is a bit against you, you have the feeling that it barely gets light. It is not for nothing that the Finns spend the winter months mainly indoors. The weather is also not very good during this period. From December to February, daytime temperatures are below freezing on average. During the night it often freezes moderately. Even severe frost is not entirely unusual when it’s the middle of winter in Helsinki. See abbreviations for Helsinki.

Climate figures

The figures below are based on long-term average climate statistics. The temperatures are displayed in degrees Celsius (°C).

	maximum temperature	minimum temperature	hours of sunshine per day	days of rainfall per month		water temperature
January	-4℃	-10℃	1	20		2℃
February	-4℃	-10℃	2	16		1℃
March	1℃	-6℃	4	16		1℃
April	7℃	-1℃	6	13		2℃
May	15℃	5℃	8	11		5℃
June	20℃	10℃	9	11		9℃
July	21℃	12℃	8	14		15℃
August	20℃	11℃	7	16		17℃
September	14℃	7℃	4	18		14℃
October	9℃	3℃	3	18		10℃
November	3℃	-2℃	1	21		7℃
December	-1℃	-7℃	1	21		3℃

The weather in Helsinki

Here you will find the weather forecast for Helsinki. View the current weather in Helsinki and the forecast for the coming days, such as temperatures, the chance of precipitation, the wind direction and the wind strength. With this weather data you can see what kind of weather you can expect in Helsinki. Based on the climate statistics, we describe the weather per month in Helsinki. This is not a long-term forecast, but gives the average weather forecast for all months of the year. Do you want to see the detailed weather forecast for Helsinki? On the page with extra weather information we show the chance of snow, the wind chill, visibility, UV strength, air pressure and more good weather information.

An average weather picture per month can be compiled on the basis of long-term climate statistics, certain weather patterns and specific events.

The weather in January

In January, the average maximum temperature in Helsinki is around -4 degrees Celsius. The average minimum temperature in January is -10 degrees. The number of hours that the sun is visible in January at this destination is around 1 hour per day. Within the whole month there is precipitation for about 20 days. If you look at the long-term averages, that means that there will not be much precipitation this month.

The weather in February

In the month of February, the average maximum temperature in Helsinki is around -4 degrees Celsius. The average minimum temperature in February is -10 degrees. The number of hours that the sun is visible in February at this destination is around 2 hours per day. Within the whole month there is precipitation for about 16 days. If you look at the long-term averages, that means that there will not be much precipitation this month.

The weather in March

In the month of March, the average maximum temperature in Helsinki is around 1 degrees Celsius. The average minimum temperature in March is -6 degrees. The number of hours that the sun is visible in March at this destination is around 4 hours per day. Within the whole month there is precipitation for about 16 days. If you look at the long-term averages, that means that there will not be much precipitation this month.

The weather in April

In April, the average maximum temperature in Helsinki is around 7 degrees Celsius. The average minimum temperature in April is -1 degrees. The number of hours that the sun is visible in April at this destination is around 6 hours per day. Within the whole month there is precipitation for about 13 days. If you look at the long-term averages, that means that there will not be much precipitation this month.

The weather in May

In the month of May, the average maximum temperature in Helsinki is around 15 degrees Celsius. The average minimum temperature in May is 5 degrees. The number of hours that the sun is visible in May in this destination is around 8 hours per day. Within the whole month there is rainfall for about 11 days. If you look at the long-term averages, that means that there will not be much precipitation this month.

The weather in June

In the month of June, the average maximum temperature in Helsinki is around 20 degrees Celsius. The average minimum temperature in June is 10 degrees. The number of hours that the sun is visible in June at this destination is around 9 hours per day. Within the whole month there is rainfall for about 11 days. If you look at the long-term averages, that means that there will not be much precipitation this month.

The weather in July

In July, the average maximum temperature in Helsinki is around 21 degrees Celsius. The average minimum temperature in July is 12 degrees. The number of hours that the sun is visible in July at this destination is around 8 hours per day. Within the whole month there is precipitation for about 14 days. If you look at the long-term averages, this ensures a reasonable amount of precipitation during this month.

The weather in August

In August, the average maximum temperature in Helsinki is around 20 degrees Celsius. The average minimum temperature in August is 11 degrees. The number of hours that the sun is visible in August in this destination is around 7 hours per day. Within the whole month there is precipitation for about 16 days. If you look at the long-term averages, this ensures a reasonable amount of precipitation during this month.

The weather in September

In September, the average maximum temperature in Helsinki is around 14 degrees Celsius. The average minimum temperature in September is 7 degrees. The number of hours that the sun is visible in September at this destination is around 4 hours per day. Within the whole month there is precipitation for about 18 days. If you look at the long-term averages, this ensures a reasonable amount of precipitation during this month.

The weather in October

In October, the average maximum temperature in Helsinki is around 9 degrees Celsius. The average minimum temperature in October is 3 degrees. The number of hours that the sun is visible in October at this destination is around 3 hours per day. Within the whole month there is precipitation for about 18 days. If you look at the long-term averages, this ensures a reasonable amount of precipitation during this month.

The weather in November

In November, the average maximum temperature in Helsinki is around 3 degrees Celsius. The average minimum temperature in November is -2 degrees. The number of hours that the sun is visible in November at this destination is around 1 hour per day. Within the whole month there is precipitation for about 21 days. If you look at the long-term averages, this ensures a reasonable amount of precipitation during this month.

The weather in December

In December, the average maximum temperature in Helsinki is around -1 degrees Celsius. The average minimum temperature in December is -7 degrees. The number of hours that the sun is visible in December at this destination is around 1 hour per day. Within the whole month there is precipitation for about 21 days. If you look at the long-term averages, that means that there will not be much precipitation this month.