Other Regions in Europe
Eastern Europe Weather Overview
POLAND
Lying in
the very north of Eastern Europe, sharing a land border with Czech Republic and
Slovakia in the south and Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania and Russia on the east
side with the Baltic Sea in the north Poland experiences varying conditions
relative to the specific regions proximity to the sea and mountain ranges.
Poland has mountain
ranges which lie along its southern border but the country is largely made up
of low lying regions and rolling plains. Other than the Sudeten
mountain range in the southeast which sees elevations reach in excess of 6000
ft, the country as a whole sits predominately below 1000 ft.
Along the coast
the weather is more mild than once you head further inland. The Baltic coast is
home to summers which are cooled by the sea breezes, and the water also has a
moderating effect on the winters, keeping them fairly mild. Once you head away from
the coast and move toward the Sudeten
and Carpathian mountain ranges,
the weather is affected by the rising elevation. Winters are more extreme and
summers are warmer.
The majority of rain that falls is in the summer months, as the precipitation that occurs in the winter months is mainly snowfall- especially in the Carpathian mountain range where snow lies for up to 100 days a year.Warsaw is the countryâs capital and lies directly in the centre of Poland. Along with being the countryâs capital it is also the largest city in Poland, home to nearly 2 million people. The climate in Warsaw is continental humid, with an average daily temperature in January of -2 and 18 degrees in July, which is also the cityâs rainiest month.
Warsaw lies in the heart of the Masovian
Plain, which its self is located in the valleys of three large rivers: Vistula,
Bug and Narew. This contributes to Warsawâs higher levels of
relative humidity.
See here for the average weather conditions for Warsaw If
you look at the average conditions for Krakow (here) you can see the colder
conditions that prevail in the south of Poland.
Compare this also to the conditions in Gdynia which lies on Polands Baltic coast. Here conditions are much milder than inland Poland.
CZECH REPUBLIC
Adjacent to
Poland and completely landlocked
within Central Europe, the Czech Republic lies amongst Germany, AustrIa and Slovakia.
The Czech Republic is made up of two main regions, lying in the west is Bohemia which is home to rolling plains, hills and plateaus amongst low lying mountains. Moravia lies in the east of the country, is much hillier than the east. T
the weather varies across the country solely
due to the varied elevation, however in areas of similar altitude the
conditions are hardly different at all- mainly because the small country is surrounded
by land at all borders so there are no moderating coastal influences nearby.
The
climate in the country is best described as temperate continental that is characterized
by four distinct seasons- hot summers, cold cloudy winters that are cold enough
to sustain snowfall.
Due to the lack of coastal influences, there is a large
annual range in temperature between summer and winter. At low altitudes the
summers are warmer and drier and the winters more mild, however as you head
into the mountain ranges nearing the German border and the Karkonosze range you
will find winters can get much bitterer and precipitation on the whole is
higher. These mountain ranges are popular skiing resorts as they sustain snow
cover for much of winter.
The coldest
months in the Czech Republic
is usually January followed by February and December. During the height of
winter there is normally snow in the mountains and occasionally throughout the
major cities. Prague does witness snowfall however the urban warming effect that is present in the
capital city has the effect of melting a lot of the snow that settles.
There isnât really a bad time of the year to visit the Czech republic as each season has something different to offer. The capital city of Prague can be enjoyed year round as the sights are no overly weather specific, the castles and historic buildings are just as beautiful in the bright summer days as they are covered in snow in the midst of winter.
Spring sees the country side come alive with
colour and this is a great time to head into the outer towns near Prague. Cesky Krumlov, (esk½ Krumlov) for
example, is a small town that lies in the south east of the country that is
built upon the Vltava river which winds
throughout the picturesque village.
esk½ has an amazing 13th century
castle which sits high upon a hill overlooking the city like something straight
out of a fairy tale. In the summer months visitors to the town can float around
the town on rubber tubes as the river winds around, encircling the quaint
village.
The umava National Park lies in the west of Czech along the borders of Austria and Germany and is covered by the most extensive forest in Central Europe, this area can be subject to a slightly more harsh climate then the majority of the Czech Republic and has often been subjected to strong winds which have proved to be destructive.