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Climate & Weather

While continental Europe lies at a latitude farther north then that of United States, its climate remains very temperate. This is because of the warm gulf current that comes all the way from the Caribbean and the North Atlantic Drift warming the continent. The continent also has prevailing westerly winds off the Atlantic. Europe is also a smaller land mass surrounded by water stabilizing its temperatures.

Bitter cold winters are felt in the far north of the Scandinavian countries with their short winter days and as you go east into Russia closer to the land mass of Asia.

In the south the Mediterranean countries will have more annual days of sun making it hot in the summer. These countries will also have a wet and dry season. A good rule is to travel in Northern Europe during the summer and Southern Europe during the spring or fall. 

Current Weather in European Cities…

Country Climates…

  ALBANIA

Mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter

  ANDORRA

Temperate; snowy, cold winters and warm, dry summers

  AUSTRIA

Temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with occasional showers

  BELARUS

Cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime

 BELGIUM

Temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy

 BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA

Hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have short, cool summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy winters along coast

BULGARIA

Temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers

CROATIA

Mediterranean and continental; continental climate predominant with hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry summers along coast

CYPRUS

Temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters

czechia

Temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

DENMARK

Temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers

ESTONIA

Maritime; wet, moderate winters, cool summers

  FINLAND

Cold temperate; potentially subarctic but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes

FRANCE

Metropolitan France: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean

GERMANY

Temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind

GREECE

Temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

  HOLY SEE

Temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to May) with hot, dry summers (May to September)

HUNGARY

Temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers

ICELAND

Temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers

ireland

Temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time

Italy

Predominantly Mediterranean; alpine in far north; hot, dry in south

latvia

Maritime; wet, moderate winters

LIECHTENSTEIN

Continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain; cool to moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers

LITHUANIA

Transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers

LUXEMBOURG

Modified continental with mild winters, cool summers

MALTA

Mediterranean; mild, rainy winters; hot, dry summers

MOLDOVA

Temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers; rainy year- round on west coast

MONACO

Mediterranean; mild, rainy winters; hot, dry summers

MONTENEGRO

Mediterranean climate, hot dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfalls inland

NETHERLANDS

Temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters

  NORTH MACEDONIA

Warm, dry summers and autumns; relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall

NORWAY

Temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers; rainy year- round on west coast

POLAND

Temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers

PORTUGAL

Maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south

ROMANIA

Temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms

RUSSIA

Ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along Arctic coast

  SAN MARINO

Mediterranean; mild to cool winters; warm, sunny summers

Serbia

In the north, continental climate (cold winters and hot, humid summers with well-distributed rainfall); in other parts, continental and Mediterranean climate (relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall and hot, dry summers and autumns)

SLOVAKIA

Temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

SLOVENIA

Mediterranean climate on the coast, continental climate with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and valleys to the east

SPAIN

Temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast

SWEDEN

Temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north

SWITZERLAND

Temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers

TURKEY

Temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior

UKRAINE

Temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west and north, lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; warm summers across the greater part of the country, hot in the south

  UNITED KINGDOM

Temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast

Weather Averages in Major European Cities…

  • Daily Average High Temperatures – in Fahrenheit
  • Daily Average Low Temperatures – in Fahrenheit
  • Monthly Rainfall – in Inches
  • Number of Days with Precipitation
 AmsterdamAnnualJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daily High55º41º42º48º53º61º66º69º70º64º57º48º44º
Daily Low44º34º32º37º40º46º52º55º55º51º46º39º36º
Rainfall Inches32.13.11.73.51.522.42.92.43.24.132.8
# of Rain Days117811912129121110977
Athens AnnualJan  Feb Mar AprMay  Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Daily High71.6º56º57º60º67º75º83º89º89º82º73º65º59º
Daily Low57.7º44º44º47º52º60º68º73º73º67º60º53º47º
Rainfall Inches14.41.91.61.610.60.20.20.30.41.92.22.5
# of Rain Days 6411 
BarcelonaAnnual Jan Feb Mar Apr MayJun  Jul Aug Sep Oct NovDec 
Daily High68º56º58º60º63º67º75º81º82º78º70º62º57º
Daily Low52º40º41º44º47º53º60º65º66º6254º46º42º
Rainfall Inches25.21.61.11.61.92.31.60.82.43.43.62.32
# of Rain Days55545
  BerlinAnnualJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daily High56º35º39º47º54º65º70º73º73º66º56º45º38º
Daily Low41º26º27º33º37º45º53º56º55º50º42º35º30º
Rainfall Inches22.31.71.31.41.62.22.81.82.41.81.41.92
# of Rain Days225231820161519181717172223
Brussels Annual Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep OctNov  Dec
Daily High57º42º42º49º55º63º67º72º72º66º58º48º44º
Daily Low44º34º33º38º40º45º52º56º55º52º46º39º36º
Rainfall Inches323.223.22.12.92.92.31.72.73.32.427
# of Rain Days219201819181717171617192021
Budapest Annual JanFeb  MarApr  May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct NovDec 
Daily High59º36º40º51º60º70º75º79º79º71º59º45º38º
Daily Low42º25º27º35º41º51º56º59º59º52º43º34º28º
Rainfall Inches24.41.61.21.61.62.82.41.62.82.82.42.41.6
# of Rain Days81 
CopenhagenAnnualJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
 Daily High62.4º42º46º53º61º70º76º81º80º74º64º52º44º
Daily Low47.5º30º33º38º46º54º60º64º63º57º48º39º32º
Rainfall Inches31.52.32.12.22.52.732.53.32.62.73.42.1
# of Rain Days 19518 15 15 15 14 16 15 16 15 19 19 18 
DublinAnnual  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct NovDec 
Daily High55.9º46º47º50º53º58º63º67º66º62º56º50º47º
Daily Low43.5º36º36º38º40º44º49º53º52º49º45º40º37º
Rainfall Inches29.82.51.92.12.12.32.62.22.92.33.12.92.9
# of Rain Days191 17 15 17 15 15 14 16 16 15 17 17 17 
 Dubrovnik Annual Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep OctNov Dec 
Daily High66º52º53º57º62º70º77º82º82º76º69º59º54º
Daily Low54º41º41º45º50º57º64º69º69º64º56º48º43º
Rainfall Inches51.15.54.94.14.131.911.546.47.87
# of Rain Days13614131414129668121414
IstanbulAnnualJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daily High64º46º47º51º60º69º78º82º82º76º67º57º50º
Daily Low51º37º37º40º47º54º62º66º67º61º55º47º42º
Rainfall Inches25.23.72.82.31.71.20.90.70.61.12.13.54
# of Rain Days120 14 12 13 11 10 13 17 
Kraków Annual Jan Feb MarApr  May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Daily High53º33º35º45º54º64º69º71º71º64º55º42º36º
Daily Low39º22º24º31º38º46º52º55º54º48º40º32º26º
Rainfall Inches22.41.21.21.21.62.43.12.42.821.61.61.6
# of Rain Days18618 17 15 15 15 16 14 13 13 13 17 20 
Lisbon Annual Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Daily High66.9º58º60º64º66º70º76º81º82º79º71º64º59º
Daily Low55.6º46º48º50º52º55º60º64º64º63º58º52º49º
Rainfall Inches28.63.83.622.52.20.70.20.31.13.14.24.8
# of Rain Days152 13 13 10 12 11 12 14 
LondonAnnualJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daily High58.5º45º46º51º56º63º68º73º72º66º59º51º46º
Daily Low42.4º34º33º37º38º44º49º53º52º48º43º38º34º
Rainfall Inches29.73.122.42.12.22.21.82.22.72.93.13.1
# of Rain Days236 23 19 21 21 18 18 17 17 18 21 22 22 
 Madrid Annual Jan Feb MarApr  May Jun Jul AugSep  Oct NovDec 
Daily High66.9º49º53º60º63º 70º 80º 88º 87º 78º 66º 56º 50º
Daily Low49.5º36º38º42º45º51º59º65º64º59º50º42º38º
Rainfall Inches17.81.81.71.51.81.610.40.41.21.82.51.9
# of Rain Days 58
Moscow AnnualJan  Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Daily High47º21º24º34º49º63º69º71º68º57º45º32º25º
Daily Low33º11º12º22º34º44º51º55º52º43º33º24º16º
Rainfall Inches23.61.41.11.31.522.63.22.82.321.71.7
# of Rain Days 11510 12 12 11 11 11 15 
 MunichAnnualJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daily High55º36º38º48º53º63º68º72º73º66º55º44º38º
Daily Low39º24º25º32º36º44º50º54º54º48º40º32º27º
Rainfall Inches36.51.91.72.12.844.954.43.32.42.12
# of Rain Days 18913 12 16 17 16 18 18 16 15 17  1615 
Paris Annual Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct NovDec 
Daily High60.8º45º47º54º60º67º72º77º77º70º61º51º45º
Daily Low47.8º36º37º41º45º51º56º60º60º54º49º42º38º
Rainfall Inches25.12.822.822.82.82.41.62.42.822.8
# of Rain Days193 20 16 18 17 16 14 13 12 14 17 17 19 
Prague Annual Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep OctNov Dec 
Daily High54º34º36º46º54º64º69º72º73º65º54º41º36º
Daily Low39º24º32º36º45º51º54º53º48º39º32º28º28º
Rainfall Inches18.80.80.711.42.32.72.62.51.61.21.10.9
# of Rain Days 18915 12 16 16 17 17 18 16 15 16 17 14 
RomeAnnualJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daily High68.5º55º56º59º64º71º78º83º83º78º71º63º57º
Daily Low51.1º38º39º42º46º53º60º64º65º60º53º46º41º
Rainfall Inches28.93.232.62.11.20.60.61.32.73.74.33.5
# of Rain Days74 
St. Petersburg Annual Jan Feb MarApr May  Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Daily High46º24º25º34º46º60º66º70º66º56º45º35º28º
Daily Low35º15º16º24º33º44º52º56º54º45º37º28º20º
Rainfall Inches21.21.1111.21.72.22.632.421.61.4
# of Rain Days 16211 11 12 14 16 16 15 16 20 14 10 
Vienna Annual Jan Feb Mar AprMay  Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct NovDec 
Daily High59.5º38º43º50º61º70º75º80º79º70º59º46º40º
Daily Low46.9º30º32º38º46º54º59º63º63º56º47º38º33º
Rainfall Inches21.60.81.11.51.52.42.52.62.621.31.71.4
# of Rain Days 43
Venice Annual Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Daily High62.4º42º46º53º61º70º76º81º80º74º64º52º44º
Daily Low47.5º36º40º46º53º62º68º72º71º66º56º46º38º
Rainfall Inches31.56.76.26.68.28.38.95.76.75.467.76.4
# of Rain Days82666888565676
Zürich Annual Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Daily High56.3374049566570757365564538
Daily Low42.4282935404753575650443530
Rainfall Inches44.6223345554333
# of Rain Days133.91091111121212111091011

Europe’s Climate Ecosystems…

Europe’s biodiversity climate has several areas.
  • Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests – One of the largest climate regions throughout Europe. Ranging from Russia in the east through central Europe and into France and northern Spain. Also, Southern Scandinavia, the British Isles, Northern Italy, the Balkans and Turkey.
  • Temperate Coniferous Forest – climate predominantly found in mountainous regions of the Alps, Carpathians, Scotland and the Norway coast.
  • Boreal Forests & Taiga – Found in the high northern latitudes between the tundra and temperate forests in Russia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Scotland.
  • Temperate Grassland, Savannas & Shrublands – Consists mainly of grasses and scrub they are similar to the Great Plains of North America. Found on the north side of the Black Sea from Romania east to the Caspian Sea in Russia and the Ukraine.
  • Mediterranean – Typically dry hot summers with mild rainy winters. Vegetation can vary from woodland forests, savannas, shrublands and grasslands. Through most of southern European countries along the Mediterranean Sea. Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, the Balkans, Greece and Turkey. 
  • Arctic Tundra – Vegetation is primarily limited to dwarf shrubs, grasses, mosses and lichens. Tree growth limited because of low temperatures and short season. In Europe this region only exists in the Artic north of Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland.

These areas support many unique flower and fauna. With the presence of man, the environmental quality of these areas has declined over the centuries. Over half of Europe’s original forest are gone because of deforestation as well as its habitat. Deserts, Mangroves and Tropical & Sub Tropical Forests and Grasslands, do not exist in Europe.