Weather locations in Poland

Poland sits between the Baltic Sea and the Carpathians in Central Europe and has a temperate climate with a distinctly continental edge. Warsaw, the capital, averages about 0 °C in January and roughly 19 °C in July, with annual rainfall near 550 millimetres. The Baltic coast has cooler summers and somewhat more rain; the southern uplands and mountains are wetter and change with altitude. There is no real dry season, but winter and early spring are driest.

Main climate types

Formally a warm temperate climate, Poland's weather is dominated by two competing influences: Atlantic air from the west, which brings cool, wet and unstable conditions, and continental air from the east, which brings clear cold winters and hot summers. Within that, the coastal belt is mildest and wettest, the central lowlands most continental, and the mountains coldest and wettest.

Temperatures

Monthly means in Warsaw run from about 0 °C in January to about 19 °C in July. Summer days in the lowlands frequently reach 25 °C to 30 °C, and heat waves in July can push into the mid-30s °C; the north coast stays some 5 °C cooler. Winter brings regular frosts, with inland lows between -5 °C and -15 °C. Snow falls in most years from mid-December to early March.

Rainfall

Annual totals average roughly 500 to 700 millimetres and rise with altitude: the coast sits at the lower end, while the Carpathians and Sudetes receive 800 to more than 1,000 millimetres, and the highest slopes get over 1,400 millimetres. Most rain arrives in summer thunderstorms, and May to July is typically the wettest period. Spring is often dry, which can delay the agricultural year.

When to go

May, June and September are the best all-round months, with mild temperatures, long daylight and forest in leaf or turning. July and August bring the most visitors and the most thunderstorms. Winter, from late December to early March, is the season for skiing around Zakopane; away from the mountains it is cold, damp and often overcast.