Nijmegen is one of the warmest cities of the Netherlands, especially during summer, when the highest temperatures in the country are usually measured in the triangle Roermond – Nijmegen – Eindhoven. The lack of north-south oriented mountain ranges in Europe makes this area prone to sudden shifts in weather, giving the region a semi-continental climate.
Some of the northernmost wineries in the world are found just outside of Nijmegen, around Groesbeek, a suburban village south-east of Nijmegen.
During the 2006 European heat wave, Kalkar reached a high of 38.6°C (101.5°F) on July 19, and a Weather Underground station in Nijmegen-Dukenburg reached a high of 38.7°C (101.7°F), which, if accepted by the KNMI, would have been a record high for the Netherlands. The KNMI does not consider data from stations operated by others, however. The heat wave coincided with that year's Four Day Marches, which were cancelled after the first day, when two people died of hyperthermia-related causes. Temperatures on that day, the 18th of July, reached around 36°C (97°F).
On the night of January 6, 2009, an all-time record low of −17.5°C was reached at Weeze airport, and many other stations around Nijmegen reached record or near-record low temperatures, as low as −21°C (−5°F) at some places. Raeren, a neighboring town in Belgium recorded −25.9°C (−15°F), making this cold spell the coldest in at least 60 years.
Nijmegen is in USDA Hardiness zone 7b and AHS Heat zone 3
