Denmark has a temperate climate, characterised by mild winters, with mean temperatures in January of , and cool summers, with a mean temperature in August of . The most extreme temperatures recorded in Denmark, since 1874 when recordings began, was  in 1975 and  in 1982. Denmark has an average of 179 days per year with precipitation, on average receiving a total of  per year; autumn is the wettest season and spring the driest. The position between a continent and an ocean means that the weather is often unstable.