The Climate of
Montenegro
Old Town Budva
Climate Map
Climate map of Montenegro
What is the climate of Montenegro like?
Montenegro is situated in southeastern Europe along the Adriatic Sea. Montenegro is bordered on the north by Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the east by Serbia, and on the south by Albania. In the west there is a short border with Croatia.
Montenegro, has a varied climate and geography. That part best known and most visited by tourists is the Dalmatian coast of Montenegro. This region has a Mediterranean type of climate with mild winters and sunny, warm summers. The coast is backed by mountains. Winter rainfall in the coastal regions can be heavy.
The climate of the mountains, interior plateau, and seacoast varies dramatically according to elevation and distance from the sea. For example, Montenegro's capital, Podgorica (elevation 200 m / 650 ft) enjoys an average monthly temperature 6°C (10°F) warmer than that of Cetinje (800 m / 2,600 ft), which is only 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the west; and Crkvica, a village 32 kilometers north of Cetinje, averages 4,600 millimeters (180 inches) of annual rainfall, three times more than Podgorica.
In the higher regions, the mountain breezes temper the heat of summer but increase the severity of winter. Here there is much cold weather in the autumn and spring. On the highlands snow remains for most part of the year, and in some of the darker gorges it never thaws. One feature of the winter weather is a cold gusty wind, the bora, which brings cold air from central and eastern Europe down to the coast for a few days at a time. Summers on the coast are not entirely rainless, and the fine, sunny weather is often interrupted by thunderstorms. Sunshine averages some four hours a day in winter and from ten to twelve hours a day in summer.
Podgorica shows weather typical of southwestern Montenegro near the coast. Berane shows the cooler (but drier conditions) which prevail inland.
| Climate data for Podgorica (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 9.9 (49.8) | 11.8 (53.2) | 15.6 (60.1) | 19.9 (67.8) | 24.7 (76.5) | 29.5 (85.1) | 32.9 (91.2) | 33.0 (91.4) | 27.2 (81.0) | 21.7 (71.1) | 16.0 (60.8) | 11.0 (51.8) | 21.1 (70.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.3 (41.5) | 6.8 (44.2) | 10.5 (50.9) | 14.6 (58.3) | 19.3 (66.7) | 24.0 (75.2) | 27.0 (80.6) | 27.1 (80.8) | 21.6 (70.9) | 16.3 (61.3) | 10.9 (51.6) | 6.5 (43.7) | 15.8 (60.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 1.6 (34.9) | 2.6 (36.7) | 5.9 (42.6) | 9.6 (49.3) | 14.0 (57.2) | 18.3 (64.9) | 21.0 (69.8) | 21.1 (70.0) | 16.5 (61.7) | 11.7 (53.1) | 6.9 (44.4) | 2.9 (37.2) | 11.0 (51.8) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 191.6 (7.54) | 166.5 (6.56) | 159.0 (6.26) | 145.2 (5.72) | 89.8 (3.54) | 63.3 (2.49) | 38.5 (1.52) | 65.9 (2.59) | 119.6 (4.71) | 164.2 (6.46) | 238.5 (9.39) | 217.2 (8.55) | 1,659.3 (65.33) |
| Source: Hydrological and Meteorological Service of Montenegro | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Berane (1961–1990) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 2.7 (36.9) | 5.9 (42.6) | 10.6 (51.1) | 15.2 (59.4) | 20.4 (68.7) | 23.3 (73.9) | 25.9 (78.6) | 26.1 (79.0) | 22.4 (72.3) | 17.2 (63.0) | 10.2 (50.4) | 3.4 (38.1) | 15.3 (59.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −2.0 (28.4) | 0.7 (33.3) | 4.5 (40.1) | 8.7 (47.7) | 13.4 (56.1) | 16.4 (61.5) | 18.3 (64.9) | 17.7 (63.9) | 14.0 (57.2) | 9.2 (48.6) | 4.3 (39.7) | −0.5 (31.1) | 8.7 (47.7) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −5.9 (21.4) | −3.9 (25.0) | −0.9 (30.4) | 2.7 (36.9) | 6.4 (43.5) | 9.5 (49.1) | 10.9 (51.6) | 10.3 (50.5) | 7.5 (45.5) | 3.4 (38.1) | 0.0 (32.0) | −4.2 (24.4) | 3.0 (37.4) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 82.7 (3.26) | 65.5 (2.58) | 63.1 (2.48) | 81.9 (3.22) | 70.9 (2.79) | 71.6 (2.82) | 60.5 (2.38) | 60.6 (2.39) | 66.3 (2.61) | 74.9 (2.95) | 114.9 (4.52) | 100.4 (3.95) | 913.3 (35.95) |
| Source: Hydrological and Meteorological Service of Montenegro | |||||||||||||
References
- E. A. Pearce, Charles Gordon Smith, (1990) The Hutchinson World Weather Guide, John Murray Press. ISBN 1859863426
- Timothy L. Gall, (ed.), (2003), Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, Eleventh Edition, Thomson Gale
- Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, (1992), Yugoslavia: a country study. Claitor's Pub. Division. ISBN 0844407356
- Hugh Chisholm, (ed.), (1911), Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh edition, Cambridge University Press
The Climate of
Montenegro
In summary:
The climate of Montenegro is continental and Mediterranean. The Adriatic climate along the south brings hot and dry summers and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall inland. Podgorica, located in the southwest portion of the country has an average July temperature of 26°C (80°F ) and an average January temperature of 5°C (41°F ). Annual rainfall varies widely by region from 550 to 2000 mm (22 to 78 in).