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Budapest is a spectacular city. One of the
things you will notice about Budapest
is how vast and grand it is. The buildings are enormous, the roads are wide and
the city as a whole is just immense. So it seems fitting that it has such a distinct,
varied four season climate with harsh winters and hot glorious summers. The
Hungarian weather is described as continental climate which is
characterized by temperatures that are cold enough to support a fixed period of
snow each year, and relatively moderate precipitation year round with a fair
amount of it occurring in the summer months.
WINTER
Winters in Budapest are cold and
bitter. In fact winters in Hungary as a whole are fairly sharp, with minimums
being known to fall to an achingly cold -29 degrees Celsius. In Budapest the winters can
be piercing, but the relief is that they are relatively short and they see do
see the occasional bright sunny day. If visiting Budapest in the winter keep in mind that in
the past, the barometer has been known to plummet into the negative 20’s; so
ensure to pack a decent, warm winter coat and a pair of gloves!
December
sees and average daily temperature of 1 degree, a minimum of – 2 degrees and an
average maximum of 3 degrees. January sees the coldest temperatures, with an
average of – 2 degrees. Historically January has seen Budapest reach painful lows of -23 degrees!
Moving into February the city sees an average minimum of – 2 and an average maximum of 4 degrees. During this time
there is frequent, yet light, snowfall which sees the city coated in a
picturesque slight blanket of snow.
SUMMER
The overall
annual temperature of 9.7C is fairly misleading, as summers in Budapest can get quite hot. Its location with
the Alps to the west and an open great plain to the east mean that along with
bitterly cold winters the city does experience hot summers that, unlike many
nearby popular costal resorts- is not broken up by an evening Mediterranean sea
breeze. In fact, when Budapest
gets hot the spectacular and grand architecture soaks up the eat meaning that
even into the night the temperatures are still warm.
Summer
temperatures run from about April through until September, and in the height of
summer the city basks in 10 hours of sun daily. While July and August attract
the greatest number of visitors to the city, the longer days mean that you can fit
in a lot more sightseeing and do much of it once the harsh midday sun has weaned.
The advent
of global warming (scientists claim) has seen Budapest experience quite extreme summers of
late, summers which continue right through into the depths of September. June
sees an average temperature of 19 degrees, with an average minimum of 14 and a maximum of 24 degrees. July and August each see an average temperature of 21 degrees,
with the record maximum falling in these months when the mercury rose to a
maximum of 39 degrees.
It should
be kept in mind that even throughout summer it is possible to experience sudden
showers, so be best equipped for this by carrying an umbrella with you or being
prepared to make a dash from the rain.
AUTUMN/SPRING
October
sees a period which is known locally as the ‘vénasszonyok
nyara’ which translates directly to mean ‘old woman’s summer,’ also known as
Indian Summer. This is due to the continued sunny, clear days which are present
throughout September and into October.
September sees an average temperature of about 22 degrees,
before falling to 16 degrees in October and falling again to 8 degree by
November. Early Autumn is a great time to visit Budapest as the summer tourist peak as died
down yet the weather is still very enjoyable and there is a still an abundance
of sunny days.
Spring, like Autumn, is also a great time to visit as the
city has emerged from the winter frost and the tourists have only just begun to
trickle in. Like any European city in Spring, the trees have begun to bloom and
the city is covered in an wealth of bright flowers and striking green grass.
Grass covers Budapest
in an array of different greens, a highlight of a city which sees mild rain all
year round. Come spring time you will see the open grass areas filled with
locals and tourists alike simply taking in the sunshine and making the most of
this glorious, grand and intriguing city.
If you do choose to visit in the spring time, it should be
kept in mind that the weather in March and the beginning of April has been
known to be somewhat unpredictable, so if you are not a fan of unpredictability
then plan your Spring Vacation for the latter half of April and into May. Spring
temperatures average between 20 to 25 degrees.
Precipitation
in Budapest is
fairly scattered across the year. November on average sees the greatest ‘wet
days,’ averaging 14 for the month. Dec, January, May and June each average 13
wet days and August and September see the least at 9 and 7 respectively. In
saying this May and November measure the greatest precipitation, measure 70-72
mm across each month. With these figures you can see that the rainfall across
the year is fairly sporadic with light precipitation falling in the months
outside of summer, but the warmer months seeing heavier but less frequent rain.
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