Page 49 - The Baltic Capitals & St. Petersburg

CLIMATE

Tallinn: The climate in northerly Tallinn is tempered by its location on the Baltic Sea. In
summer, the city gets cooling sea breezes; in winter the same sea air keeps the snowfall
in check. That’s not to say that Tallinn doesn’t get snow—a couple feet a year—but it’s
considerably less than in nearby Finland or Russia. Spring and fall bring mild temperatures
but can also feature sea fog and/or sudden rain. In summer, high temperatures rarely top
the low 80s.

Riga: Summers in Riga tend to be short and cool with cloud cover; highs are generally in the
60s or 70s in July, but can sometimes go up to the 80s. Winters are usually dark and cold, with
heavy snowfall from mid-December to mid-March. The city is overcast for roughly 40 percent
of the year.

Vilnius, Lithuania: Vilnius has bigger extremes between summer and winter than Tallinn or
Riga. Summer highs can easily be in the high 80s, although usually it’s a few degrees cooler.
In contrast most of winter is below freezing. Rainy days are possible all year round, but most
rain falls during summer.

St. Petersburg: The weather in St. Petersburg is similar to that of its neighbors, Helsinki
and Tallinn. Summer is often comfortably warm and bright, but hot spells also occur, as do
afternoon rain showers. By the middle of August, autumn has arrived and by October, the
temperatures usually have dropped to the 50s and 40s, and a crispness has entered the air or
there may even be snow. The climate in St. Petersburg is varied, and quick to change from sun
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and bringing an umbrella, just in case.)

Moscow, Russia: Moscow has a continental climate, with very cold, long winters and warm,
humid summers. Summer can bring occasional hot spells while winter temperatures are
frequently far below freezing. Winter snows start in November and the snow blanket persists
well into spring. Moscow has little rainfall, most of its precipitation falls as snow.

Poland: Poland has a long border with the Czech and Slovak Republics in the south and a
coastline on the Baltic Sea in the north. Most of Poland has a very similar climate and the
same sequence of weather throughout the year. Winter cold increases towards the east
and in the southern mountains, while the coastlands of the Baltic Sea have slightly milder
winters and cooler summers. Precipitation is well distributed around the year with a summer
maximum of rain, often heavy and accompanied by thunder. Much of the winter precipitation
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distinctly cold and the length of really cold spells varies considerably from year to year.

The Baltics

The Baltic climate might be more temperate than you’d expect. Even though Estonia is on
the same latitude as parts of Alaska, the climate is closer to that of New England or the
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