Weather locations in Moldova

Moldova is a small, landlocked country in the northern Balkans between Ukraine and Romania, and its climate is best described as temperate continental. Its weather is dominated by air masses arriving from the European continent, and there are no mountains of consequence: the highest point stands under 450 metres, so the country is a broad plain of steppe and loess with few obvious natural barriers.

Main climate types

Under the conventional grouping Moldova sits in the humid continental zone, with the semi-arid steppe at the margins. The northern districts around Balti are cooler and wetter. In the south, the Bugeac steppe and the country along the Prut toward the Romanian border are the driest part, and the region suffers occasional serious droughts. The Codri hills in the centre are a green, wooded belt.

Temperatures

The capital has January means near -3 degrees Celsius and July about 22, with snow lying for much of January and February. Lows around -15 occur in cold spells, and summer highs regularly pass 30 degrees. The growing season is long enough for maize and sunflowers, and the difference between the two halves of the year is roughly 25 degrees.

Rainfall

Annual rainfall is about 550 to 600 millimetres across most of the country, higher in the north and lower in the southern steppe. Moldova's rain falls mostly during the warm half of the year, with the heaviest totals arriving in late spring and early summer, and the driest months are typically the deep winter and the height of the summer heat.

When to go

May to September is the warmest period and the best time for travelling outside the cities, when the vineyards of the Codri are at their best. Winter, from December to February, is cold, with frequent snow and some of the most extreme cold for the latitude anywhere in Europe.