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Weather Overview for Krakow

Krakow is one of the largest cities in Poland and also one of the most picturesque. The weather, on the other hand, is not exactly something to write home about. Krakow is located on the Vistula River in Southern Poland at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains and has a temperate, distinct four season climate. The winters are extreme and the summers are wet, however the spring and famous Polish Autumns can be somewhat more enjoyable. The weather in Krakow can be fairly unpredictable, with some summer days reaching the mid twenties and others pouring with rain, so an umbrella is a necessity all year round when visiting Krakow.

SPRING

Spring weather begins to pick up nearer to the end of March. The average minimum in March is -2°C and the average maximum at 7 °C. Moving into April and May the average maximums move up to 13°C and 18 °C (respectively) and lows at 3°C and 7 °C (respectively). Many tourists feel that May is the best time to visit as, not dissimilar to the ‘golden autumns’, the average daily sunlight is as high as it is in summer but this is sans the high rainfall that occurs in summer. The average daily high of 20 °C combined with the smells and sights of spring make May a very popular time to visit Poland and Krakow.

SUMMER

The summer months are Krakow’s wettest months, with July having an average rainfall amount of 110mm. For those whom rainfall statistics mean little to, it may help to know that London’s average rainfall for each month throughout winter is 78mm. It is difficult to imagine but a Krakow summer can sometimes be wetter than a London winter!

Average temperatures throughout June, July and August are 11.5°C / 22°C (min/max) without about six to seven hours of sunlight per day. There can be weeks of summer where temperatures sit above 30°C, but this weather is reasonably unpredictable. There is an old Polish poem that says ‘days are longest in June, hottest in July, and most beautiful in August,’ which seems to best sum up the Krakow summer.

AUTUMN

Poland is famed for their ‘golden autumns’ where mild weather, sunlight and drier days combine to make it the most popular time to visit. Rainfall in Krakow almost halves by September comparative to the height of summer.  Temperatures stay, on average, around the early to mid teens throughout September and October, before dropping quite dramatically in November. The weather continues to be t-shirt weather through until about mid November.

WINTER

Winters in Krakow are long, harsh and dark. The city averages a dreary 90 minutes of sunlight per day in the height of winter, and the temperature stays at or below freezing for much of November to February. January and February are the coldest months with temperature averages sitting at -1°C/-7°C (high/low) for January and 2°C/-5°C for February. There is snowfall typically from December through to March which sees the city covered in snow around Christmas time.

Despite the reputable harsh winter weather, many feel that if you can handle the cold, Krakow is ideal to visit in the winter, as many of its historical tourist sights are much less busy and don’t rely on sunshine and warmth to make them enjoyable. You may feel that the snowfall and cold simply heightens the medieval, gothic and mysterious experience of the city.