Riga's latitude is 56 degrees, 53 minutes North, approximately the same distance from the equator as Gravina Island, which is located in the southeastern part of Alaska and mid-Labrador in Eastern Canada. Because of its proximity to the North Pole, Riga's shortest days are in late December (9:30 a.m. sunrise, 3:50 p.m. sunset) and its longest days are in late June (4:30 a.m. sunrise, 10:20 p.m. sunset).
Because of its northern location, winters in Latvia are extremely long and cold, while summers are warm but short. The average monthly temperature in Riga ranges from a low of minus 5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit) in January to a high of 17 C (62 F) in July. The average temperature in April is 5 C (41 F) and 7 C (45 F) in October.
As with the rest of the Baltic region, Latvia has a moderate amount of rain throughout the year, and during most months, there is some precipitation on at least half of the days. The average rainfall is 32 mm (1.25 inches) in January, 33 mm (1.3 inches) in April, 78 mm (3.1 inches) in July and 53 mm (2.1 inches) in October.
