The weather in Rotterdam is influenced by the maritime climate we have in the Netherlands. As locals, we simply name it Dutch Weather. It can be sunny for three days in a row and the 4th day the temperature declines by eight degrees. In general, the weather is soft with very little extremes. We do have precipitation all year long but this is not really something to worry about. We have a Dutch website in the Netherlands hetregentbijnanooit.nl where a person goes to work on his bike, 4 days a week, where he has 2 rides of around 45 minutes. In the 11 years, he stayed dry for 90% of the time. So, when it’s raining, just take a coffee or tea and after that, you will be able to go outside again.
The chart below shows the highest and the lowest temperature in the months of 2019. Although 37C° in July was very high, on average the temperature was pleasant. We did not use scientific values for the chart but it gives a good idea about the monthly weather.
December to February
The weather in Rotterdam in December, January and February can be described as soft. For years we could skate on natural ice in this months but that time is over. Nowadays it can be cold, cloudy and windy but the temperature stays above zero most of the day times. So yes, when you’re here in these months you need a warm waterproof jacket and also a warm pullover for the cold and rainy days. For those who feel cold a little quicker, take a woollen hat and scarf and you will be alright. But chances are that you are also able to walk outside in the sun to enjoy a lovely day in Rotterdam. The highest temperature was around 14C° last year.
March to May
The Spring officially starts on March the 20th. In 2019 we already had Spring days in February. Of course, this is not a guarantee that this will be the case every year. So yes, take your waterproof jacket with you to be sure. We have an old saying “April does what it will” means that it can be Dutch weather in these months. So when we all think Spring is going to be nice because it started very well in March, April can give us some rainy days. When Springs changes into Summer the temperature goes up, as well as the sunny days. We are sure that you will be able to enjoy lunch, dinner or drinks on a terras when you visit Rotterdam in these months.
June to August
When you decide to come to Rotterdam in the Summer you are able to enjoy long days. Around the start of the summer, we have the longest day when the sun comes up at 6:19 and goes down at 22:04. The temperature in the daytime is normally around 20C° and when it is not really cloudy the temperature remains enjoyable. In the last couple of years, we had really hot days in Rotterdam. When the record of the highest temperature was broken in the Netherlands, 40.7C°, the temperature in Rotterdam was around 38C°. So we really advise you to have sunscreen oil or creme available. And who knows, Rotterdam becomes a sun destination in the future. The clothing advice for the summer is simple, don’t take your winter clothes.
September to November
September, October and November the weather in Rotterdam slowly says goodbye to the summer. The late summer can still be very nice. The days are getting shorter but the highest temperatures, sep 27C° and oct 22C° show that it still is nice to walk around in the streets of Rotterdam or even enjoy a boat trip on the Nieuwe Maas. Take your jacket, when the sun is gone it can be cold, but don’t be surprised when you see some people walking around in shorts or in a dress. Towards the end of October, the sun goes down at around 17:20 and will it be a lot colder. The highest precipitation is also in October and November, so when you are here in these months you will experience our typical Dutch weather. An advantage to this is that there are not many tourists in our city so we would advise you to visit museums or inside attractions.
The charts below showing the precipitation and sun hours per month. Don’t let this scare you off. Yes, we can have rainy days but most of the times it only rains for some hours in a row.
Weather conclusion and our advice
Don’t worry too much about the weather in Rotterdam. On average, it’s pretty comfortable, and even if you are only here for the weekend, there will always be a possibility to walk around in our city. And even when it is raining all weekend, you can say that you had a local experience of the typical Dutch weather.
Click here to see where is Rotterdam in comparison to other major cities in Europe.