User:Leonhard H./Bochum

Climate
Bochum features an Oceanic climate (Köppen-Geiger classification Cfb) caracterized by mild winters and warm summers. Extreme temperatures are uncommon. However, temperatures rising above 30°C (86°F) are to be expectded on multiple days in summer and the climate station closest to the City did record a peak temperature of 40°C (104°F) on July 25 2019.

On the other extreme, freezing temperatures are common between November and March. In some years, however, frosts may occur as late as early May. Temperatures below −10°C are, especially in recent years, only seen on rare occasions. The city lies within the 8a USDA plant hardiness zone (−12.2 to −9.4°C or 10 to 15°F). Some winters may pass without a frost below −5°C (data from the nearest active climate station). These comparably mild conditions in Winter permit the planting of plants that would either not be reliably hardy or not able to bloom throughout Germany like Trachycarpus palms, Summer lilac, Paulownia tomentosa and Rosemary.

However, winters can be unpredictable: In Mid-February 2021, the city was affected by a severe cold spell bringing temperatures down to –15 degrees Celsius (5°F) accompanied by heavy snowfall which hindered traffic for multiple days.

Precipitation measures 815mm and is evenly distributed around the year with a peak in December and a minimum in April. In recent years, the city was affected by summer and spring droughts.

The city experiences little sunshine in winter with a minimum of 1,3h per day in December and a lot more in early summer and late spring with May featuring 7,5h per day. The total amount of sunshine per year is 1686h.