Best Time To Travel To: Poland
The weather and climate in Poland is often compared with that in Germany. However, it tends to be a bit cooler in Poland. One can assume a moderate climate for Poland, which is also influenced by the continental climate. At the Baltic Sea or in the direction of the Baltic Sea, one can speak of a marine climate. To the east and south-east one could speak of a continental climate, the north and north-west are strongly influenced by the marine climate. In the south are the mountain ranges, which means that a moderate mountain climate can be found here.
Summers in Poland are unreliable. They can be dry and warm to hot. Unfortunately, the greatest rainfall in the country is in summer, so summers in Poland can always be wet and cool. Winters are also unreliable. Poland can be hit by rather violent winters. Then it can get really cold and snowy. But winters can just as well bring little snow and not be quite as cold. There is snow in western and central Poland on up to 40 days, in the northeast on up to 50 days. The mountains are of course richer in snow. In the Giant Mountains, snow falls on up to 120 days, in the Tatras, after all, on up to 145 days.
Precipitation in Poland is relatively well distributed throughout the year, with the summer tending to be the wettest. In summer there is three times as much rainfall as in winter. June is one of the wettest months. It usually gets driest in February (high mountains: September). In winter, the precipitation often comes down as snow. In Poland it is often quite cloudy. On average the sky is cloudy for up to 70% of the year. The months of August and September in particular are fairly cloud-free. Due to their location and geography, the northern lake districts and the Sudetes in particular are often cloudy. In contrast, it is clearest in Wielkopolska (Greater Poland) and Nizina Slazska (Lower Silesia).
As mentioned at the beginning, Poland has a rather cool climate on average. Although it is often compared to Germany, it is rather cooler in Poland. An average of 5 - 7 ° Celsius in the low mountain ranges and 8 - 10 ° Celsius in the valleys. In the higher mountains such as the Carpathians and Sudetes, the average temperature is 0 degrees Celsius. Temperatures within the country are subject to relatively minor fluctuations.
Experience has shown that July is the warmest (16-19 degrees), but in July the temperature in the mountains is only about 9 ° C. Basically, you can tell that it is always a little cooler on the Baltic Sea than in central Poland. The further you get from the Baltic Sea towards central Poland, the higher the probability that you will encounter regions with very hot days (up to 25 ° C) in summer. It gets very warm then, for example. B. in Kotlina Sandomierska or in the Lublin highlands. It gets coolest in January, although the east of the country is particularly cold here. You have to reckon with frosts in Poland from November to March, whereby of course the mountains are the frontrunners here (Sniezka, Kasprowy Wierch).
In summary it can be stated that:
- the warmest region in Poland is Nizina Slaska (the Silesian lowlands)
- Suwalki (northeastern Poland) is considered the coolest region in Poland
- The Kujawy Lake District is the driest region
- The region with the highest rainfall is the Tatras, especially the valley of the five Polish lakes.
When is the best time to go to Poland
As everywhere in Central Europe, the best time for Poland is between May and October. The high season is traditionally July and August. In July and August there are usually school and semester breaks. Then there is a lot going on in the holiday regions (especially Pomerania with the Baltic Sea), and many destinations are fully booked. Be careful in June as it is one of the wettest months anywhere. September can be particularly attractive. In the high mountains, this month is the driest and therefore very interesting. Winter sports enthusiasts should normally get their money's worth from December to April (provided that winter plays along). (Note: in May 2010, after heavy rainfall, Poland was hit by some floods, especially in the area of rivers).
For most of Poland, the climate tables for Poznan and Warsaw could be seen as relatively typical. Krakow roughly shows the conditions in the cooler south and Przemysl in the Subcarpathian region shows something of the cooler southeast.
