The Climate of
Greenland
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The Port of Ilulissat
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Climate Map
Climate map of Greenland
What is the climate of Greenland like?
Greenland is situated in the North Atlantic between Canada and Iceland. It has an area four times as large as France or the state of Texas, and is situated between 60° and 83°N so that three-quarters of the country lies within the Arctic Circle. Only about 16% of its area is free from permanent snow and ice. These ice-free areas consist of high mountains around the coast through which great glaciers descend to deposit masses of ice in the surrounding seas. They are main source of icebergs in the North Atlantic. The northern shores are permanently blocked by sea ice. Baffin Bay on the west of Greenland has more open water in winter than the Greenland Sea to the east.
Nuuk on the west coast is representative of the coasts of Greenland. Winters are long and severe and summers very short and cool. Precipitation, mostly snow, is moderately heavy around the coasts so that the icecap is continuously replenished.
| Climate data for Nuuk (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | −5 (23) | −6 (21) | −5.1 (22.8) | −0.7 (30.7) | 3.9 (39.0) | 8.4 (47.1) | 11.1 (52.0) | 10.2 (50.4) | 6.5 (43.7) | 2.3 (36.1) | −1.1 (30.0) | −3.2 (26.2) | 1.8 (35.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −7.5 (18.5) | −8.6 (16.5) | −7.7 (18.1) | −3.0 (26.6) | 1.2 (34.2) | 5.0 (41.0) | 7.4 (45.3) | 7.0 (44.6) | 4.0 (39.2) | 0.2 (32.4) | −3.3 (26.1) | −5.5 (22.1) | −0.9 (30.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −9.7 (14.5) | −10.9 (12.4) | −10 (14) | −5.2 (22.6) | −1.2 (29.8) | 2.0 (35.6) | 4.4 (39.9) | 4.5 (40.1) | 2.0 (35.6) | −1.8 (28.8) | −5.3 (22.5) | −7.7 (18.1) | −3.3 (26.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 67.1 (2.64) | 51.1 (2.01) | 58.9 (2.32) | 53.3 (2.10) | 57.4 (2.26) | 61.7 (2.43) | 69.3 (2.73) | 90.8 (3.57) | 104.6 (4.12) | 80.5 (3.17) | 79.0 (3.11) | 74.5 (2.93) | 852.6 (33.57) |
| Source: Danish Meteorological Institute | |||||||||||||
The interior of the country consists of a great icecap up to 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) thick; it is the largest accumulation of snow and ice in the northern hemisphere. Qaanaaq in the north of Greenland is representative of most of the interior icecap. This has a true Arctic climate, with temperatures only above freezing for brief periods in the summer. There are occasional relatively warm summer days when the weather may feel quite pleasant if the wind is light or calm and the sun is shining. The low precipitation at Qaanaaq is probably typical of much of the interior icecap.
Conditions are most hazardous when there is a combination of low temperature and strong wind and, consequently, a high wind chill. Strong winds are often a feature of the winter weather on the coast as very cold air from the interior is funnelled down the glaciated valleys when a North Atlantic depression passes near the coast. The Greenland icecap is the source of some of the coldest air to affect northwest Europe.
| Climate data for Qaanaaq | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | −19.0 (−2.2) | −20.6 (−5.1) | −20.1 (−4.2) | −12.8 (9.0) | −2.6 (27.3) | 4.2 (39.6) | 7.4 (45.3) | 6.2 (43.2) | 0.6 (33.1) | −6.7 (19.9) | −12.9 (8.8) | −17.8 (0.0) | −7.8 (18.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −23.3 (−9.9) | −24.6 (−12.3) | −24.1 (−11.4) | −17.0 (1.4) | −5.6 (21.9) | 1.5 (34.7) | 4.6 (40.3) | 3.8 (38.8) | −1.7 (28.9) | −9.8 (14.4) | −16.6 (2.1) | −21.6 (−6.9) | −11.2 (11.8) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −27.0 (−16.6) | −28.4 (−19.1) | −27.8 (−18.0) | −21.0 (−5.8) | −8.6 (16.5) | −0.7 (30.7) | 2.1 (35.8) | 1.6 (34.9) | −4.0 (24.8) | −12.8 (9.0) | −20.1 (−4.2) | −25.0 (−13.0) | −14.3 (6.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 6 (0.2) | 6 (0.2) | 4 (0.2) | 6 (0.2) | 7 (0.3) | 7 (0.3) | 16 (0.6) | 24 (0.9) | 18 (0.7) | 12 (0.5) | 10 (0.4) | 8 (0.3) | 124 (4.9) |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
References
- E. A. Pearce, Charles Gordon Smith, (1990) The Hutchinson World Weather Guide, John Murray Press. ISBN 1859863426
- Timothy L. Gall, (ed.), (2003), Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, Eleventh Edition, Thomson Gale
- Hugh Chisholm, (ed.), (1911), Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh edition, Cambridge University Press
The Climate of
Greenland
In summary:
Arctic conditions. Winters are long and severe and summers very short and cool.