Hamburg vs Munich weather comparison: Few arguments are as popular as the one between Hamburg and Munich residents about the weather. Hamburg, the cliché goes, is grey, rainy and windy. Munich by contrast basks in Alpine sunshine with Föhn winds and blue summers. But what do the numbers actually say?
On precipitation, Munich actually beats Hamburg, but not in the way the Hamburg cliché suggests. Munich records around 1000 millimetres of rain per year, Hamburg only about 804 millimetres. Munich is the wetter city. The difference lies in the pattern: Munich's rain often falls as short, heavy showers or thunderstorms in summer, after which the sun quickly returns. Hamburg's rain is more even, greyer and more persistent.
The number of rainy days is remarkably similar: both cities clock around 108 rainy days per year. So Hamburg doesn't win by having less rain, it wins by having fewer thunderstorms. Munich is struck far more often by storm fronts rolling in from the Alps.
Sunshine hours: here Munich clearly leads. With around 1740 sunshine hours per year Munich outpaces Hamburg (around 1625 hours) by about seven per cent. The decisive difference is the long summer evenings, when the sun is still shining in Munich at 8pm, Hamburg is already sitting in haze.
Temperatures are close. The annual average differs by less than one degree. In summer Munich is hotter due to its elevation and continental position; in winter it is colder than Hamburg because of the Alpine effect and frequent snow.
The verdict: if you want sunshine, Munich is the right call. If you prefer an even, mild climate without extremes, Hamburg suits you better. The tool below shows Hamburg summer 2025 vs. 2024. For a direct city comparison: open the Hamburg city page (/en/compare/hamburg) and the Munich city page (/en/compare/muenchen) side by side.