The Climate of
Ukraine
Pokrova Nunnery in Kiev
Climate Map
Climate map of Ukraine
What is the climate of Ukraine like?
Ukraine is the second-largest country in Eastern Europe. It shares borders with Belarus, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. It has a southeastern shoreline on the Sea of Azov and a south-central coast along the Black Sea. The the slopes of the Carpathian Mountains are located on the western border, where the highest point reaches 2,061 metres (6,762 feet).
The climate of Ukraine is a moderate continental one, with warm summers and cold winters. Summers are warm across the greater part of the country, except for the extreme south where it becomes hot. In Kyiv, in north-central Ukraine, the July temperature averages 21°C (70°F), while in January the average is -3°C (26°F). Summers are warmer and winters are colder in eastern Ukraine, where the weather is influenced by large air masses from the steppes of Central Asia. Although the winters are cold in Ukraine and spells of extremely cold weather occur when easterly winds blow from Siberia, the winter is shorter than in the neighbouring areas of northern and central European Russia, and the spring thaw comes earlier.
Ukraine's climate has only moderate levels of rainfall, averaging around 500 millimeters (20 inches) per year, although the amount varies by region. Rainfall is most frequent in summer. Precipitation is highest in the west and north, and the highest amounts occur in the Carpathian Mountains. Rainfall is least in the east and southeast, and lowest on the Black Sea coast.
The climate of Kiev and Lviv shows weather typical of northern and central Ukraine; the climate of Odesa shows the warmer, drier conditions on the coast.
| Climate data for Kyiv (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | −0.8 (30.6) | 0.7 (33.3) | 6.5 (43.7) | 15.0 (59.0) | 21.1 (70.0) | 24.6 (76.3) | 26.5 (79.7) | 25.9 (78.6) | 20.0 (68.0) | 12.9 (55.2) | 5.3 (41.5) | 0.5 (32.9) | 13.2 (55.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −3.2 (26.2) | −2.3 (27.9) | 2.5 (36.5) | 10.0 (50.0) | 15.8 (60.4) | 19.5 (67.1) | 21.3 (70.3) | 20.5 (68.9) | 14.9 (58.8) | 8.6 (47.5) | 2.6 (36.7) | −1.8 (28.8) | 9.0 (48.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −5.5 (22.1) | −5.0 (23.0) | −0.8 (30.6) | 5.7 (42.3) | 10.9 (51.6) | 14.8 (58.6) | 16.7 (62.1) | 15.7 (60.3) | 10.6 (51.1) | 5.1 (41.2) | 0.4 (32.7) | −3.9 (25.0) | 5.4 (41.7) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 38 (1.5) | 40 (1.6) | 40 (1.6) | 42 (1.7) | 65 (2.6) | 73 (2.9) | 68 (2.7) | 56 (2.2) | 57 (2.2) | 46 (1.8) | 46 (1.8) | 47 (1.9) | 618 (24.3) |
| Average extreme snow depth cm (inches) | 9 (3.5) | 11 (4.3) | 7 (2.8) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 2 (0.8) | 5 (2.0) | 11 (4.3) |
| Source: www.pogodaiklimat.ru | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Lviv (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 0.2 (32.4) | 2.0 (35.6) | 7.0 (44.6) | 14.5 (58.1) | 19.5 (67.1) | 23.0 (73.4) | 24.7 (76.5) | 24.5 (76.1) | 19.0 (66.2) | 13.2 (55.8) | 6.8 (44.2) | 1.5 (34.7) | 13.0 (55.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −2.7 (27.1) | −1.5 (29.3) | 2.5 (36.5) | 9.0 (48.2) | 13.8 (56.8) | 17.3 (63.1) | 19.0 (66.2) | 18.5 (65.3) | 13.5 (56.3) | 8.4 (47.1) | 3.3 (37.9) | −1.3 (29.7) | 8.3 (46.9) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −5.7 (21.7) | −4.8 (23.4) | −1.4 (29.5) | 3.8 (38.8) | 8.4 (47.1) | 12.0 (53.6) | 13.7 (56.7) | 13.2 (55.8) | 8.7 (47.7) | 4.4 (39.9) | 0.4 (32.7) | −4.1 (24.6) | 4.1 (39.4) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 46 (1.8) | 48 (1.9) | 48 (1.9) | 52 (2.0) | 93 (3.7) | 86 (3.4) | 96 (3.8) | 73 (2.9) | 70 (2.8) | 57 (2.2) | 50 (2.0) | 50 (2.0) | 769 (30.3) |
| Average extreme snow depth cm (inches) | 7 (2.8) | 9 (3.5) | 4 (1.6) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.4) | 4 (1.6) | 9 (3.5) |
| Source: www.pogodaiklimat.ru | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Odesa (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 2.3 (36.1) | 3.4 (38.1) | 7.7 (45.9) | 13.6 (56.5) | 20.3 (68.5) | 25.1 (77.2) | 27.9 (82.2) | 27.7 (81.9) | 21.8 (71.2) | 15.3 (59.5) | 9.1 (48.4) | 4.2 (39.6) | 14.9 (58.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.4 (31.3) | 0.4 (32.7) | 4.3 (39.7) | 10.0 (50.0) | 16.2 (61.2) | 20.8 (69.4) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.1 (73.6) | 17.8 (64.0) | 12.0 (53.6) | 6.3 (43.3) | 1.5 (34.7) | 11.3 (52.3) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −2.7 (27.1) | −2.1 (28.2) | 1.6 (34.9) | 6.9 (44.4) | 12.6 (54.7) | 16.9 (62.4) | 19.1 (66.4) | 18.5 (65.3) | 14.0 (57.2) | 8.9 (48.0) | 3.9 (39.0) | −0.8 (30.6) | 8.1 (46.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 43 (1.7) | 35 (1.4) | 35 (1.4) | 28 (1.1) | 39 (1.5) | 47 (1.9) | 45 (1.8) | 40 (1.6) | 44 (1.7) | 37 (1.5) | 39 (1.5) | 38 (1.5) | 470 (18.5) |
| Average extreme snow depth cm (inches) | 2 (0.8) | 2 (0.8) | 1 (0.4) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.4) | 2 (0.8) |
| Source: www.pogodaiklimat.ru | |||||||||||||
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
- Hugh Chisholm, (ed.), (1911), Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh edition, Cambridge University Press
The Climate of
Ukraine
In summary:
Ukraine has a mild-to-moderate continental climate, with warm summers and cold winters. The mean temperature in July is about 21°C (70°F). In January, however, the mean temperature drops to -3°C (26°F). The climate becomes Mediterranean-like along the southern coast, with milder winters and hotter summers.
Average rainfall is around 500 mm (20 in) a year, with variations in different regions. Rainfall is highest in the west and north, least in the east and southeast.