Climate & Weather – Europe Traveler Guide

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

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.