Köln (Cologne) vs Dortmund: which is sunnier?
🇩🇪 Germany vs 🇩🇪 Germany · 80 km apart · long-term climate normals (NASA POWER, 2001–2020)
Köln (Cologne) and Dortmund are virtually tied for annual sunshine — about 1,545 vs 1,579 hours a year. Köln (Cologne) has the higher Sunshine Score in 4 of 12 months; the other 8 are within 2 points.
Scores are the 0–100 Sunshine Score — sunshine, daytime warmth and dryness in one number, per month.
At a glance
| Köln (Cologne) | Dortmund | |
|---|---|---|
| Sunshine hours / year | 1,545 | 1,579 |
| Sunniest month | September (77/100) | June (75/100) |
| Nov–Feb average score | 2/100 | 2/100 |
| Jun–Aug average score | 74/100 | 73/100 |
| Rain / year | 791 mm | 885 mm |
| Peak midday UV | 5 (moderate) | 5 (moderate) |
Köln (Cologne) vs Dortmund month by month
| Month | Sunshine Score | Day high °C | Rain mm | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Köln (Cologne) | Dortmund | Köln (Cologne) | Dortmund | Köln (Cologne) | Dortmund | |
| January | 0 | 0 | 4° | 4° | 74 | 91 |
| February | 0 | 0 | 6° | 5° | 62 | 70 |
| March | 13 | 6 | 10° | 9° | 59 | 64 |
| April | 46 | 40 | 15° | 14° | 44 | 47 |
| May | 69 | 63 | 19° | 18° | 64 | 69 |
| June | 75 | 75 | 23° | 22° | 68 | 71 |
| July | 74 | 73 | 25° | 24° | 75 | 82 |
| August | 73 | 72 | 25° | 24° | 79 | 84 |
| September | 77 | 75 | 21° | 20° | 57 | 67 |
| October | 44 | 38 | 15° | 14° | 61 | 69 |
| November | 6 | 6 | 9° | 9° | 71 | 81 |
| December | 0 | 0 | 5° | 5° | 77 | 90 |
The sunnier month by month: Jan even · Feb even · Mar Köln (Cologne) · Apr Köln (Cologne) · May Köln (Cologne) · Jun even · Jul even · Aug even · Sep even · Oct Köln (Cologne) · Nov even · Dec even.
When to pick which
- November–February: too close to call — Köln (Cologne) averages 2/100, Dortmund 2/100. Daytime highs are similar (6°C vs 6°C). See the winter sun ranking.
- March–May: Köln (Cologne) (average score 43/100 vs 36). Daytime highs are similar (15°C vs 14°C).
- June–August: too close to call — Köln (Cologne) averages 74/100, Dortmund 73/100. Daytime highs are similar (24°C vs 23°C).
- September–October: Köln (Cologne) (average score 61/100 vs 57). Daytime highs are similar (18°C vs 17°C).
Full month-by-month guides: Köln (Cologne) weather by month · Dortmund weather by month · Best time to visit Germany.
More comparisons: Köln (Cologne) vs Frankfurt am Main · Köln (Cologne) vs Düsseldorf · Köln (Cologne) vs Luxembourg · Dortmund vs Düsseldorf · Dortmund vs Münster · Dortmund vs Paderborn · all head-to-heads