Weather in Crimea

Weather in Crimea

I grew up in Britain, a land where weather is hot topic all day every day. I've always thought that to be quite strange though, as Britain doesn't really have any weather of such. The weather there just plods along offering few surprises and even fewer changes (apart from the precarious rain/no rain oscillation).

Crimea, however, has real weather; and real seasons. It’s the sort of weather that means you have a wardrobe for summer clothes, one for winter clothes, and a third for spring/autumn clothes. Its interesting weather and definetly worth writing about.

First of all, an important point regarding the weather in Crimea. The stereotype that many people have of the weather in Russia and Ukraine; invincibly cold, is well judged, but not when it comes to Crimea. Crimea juts out deep into the Black sea. Its Southern tip is only 250km north of the Turkish coastline, and the weather here reflects this Southern latitude that Crimea luxuriates in.

Summer in Crimea starts around the beginning of May. At this time we get the first evenings in which it is warm enough to sit out in the open in just a t-shirt. May is a fantastic month in Crimea. The tourist season has yet to start, the crowds are thin, but the weather is already more than welcoming. Somewhere around the middle of June the weather in Crimea gets hot in a way that it almost never does in Britain. Long sunny days of 30+ degrees are here to stay.

В The nights are warm too; rarely dipping below 15 degrees. Exams are over, holidays are beginning, and this is the time when Russians and Ukrainians start to flock to Crimea for the annual ritual of lying on the beach and getting drunk. In August the weather in Crimea can over do it, and it can touch 40 degrees, but that is only for a few days of the year. The weather in Crimea is not humid, and therefore it rarely gets uncomfortably hot. In the months of July and August thunderstorms and flash heavy rains occasionally visit Crimea, but generally the peninsular stays sunny with blue skies for months on end.

With unnerving regularity, there is always a week of bad weather in Crimea at the end of August/beginning of September; in which rain and a sudden cooling of the temperature is the norm. Soon though, the Indian summer kicks in - and this can be one of the most pleasant times to be in Crimea, for the weather and for other reasons; it is +25 degrees, still mild at night, and many of the tourists have gone home; prices decrease and space increases.

In the 1st or 2nd week of October autumn sets in, and coats come out in force. It’s a definite maybe that the weather in Crimea will stay relatively warm and sunny this month. November, however, is more predictable - the weather in Crimea at this time is less appetizing; often overcast and rainy. Temperature fluctuations at this time of year can reach ridiculous levels. At the time of writing (2 November 2006), it is only 4 degrees outside. Yesterday, at the same time, it was 22 degrees!

At the end of October the forests of Crimea turn into a brilliant opulence of reds and yellows. The resplendent colours are reminiscent of the famous autumn spectacles of the northeastern part of the United States.

In January and February the intrepid Siberian freeze arches it's back in an attempt to reach the Southern shores of Crimea. Sometimes it is successful. In February of 2006 in Simferopol, the capital of Crimea, it reached an almost record -27 degrees at night, and there was a large amount of snow. This was exceptional though; the weather in Crimea rarely dips below -10, and on the warmer Southern coast around Yalta rarely below 0 degrees. As a rule, snow doesn't get much chance to hang around, (apart from on the mountains), as the temperature across Crimea averages around +5. Generally though this is a time to grumble about the weather in Crimea.

That is until the first days of spring peek through the clouds towards the end of February. At this time everybody gets all excited and pack up their winter coats until next the season, before hastily unpacking them again at the beginning of March when winter comes back in force. Somewhere around the 3rd week of March spring makes its fight back, and this time it is victorious. It's back up to +15 and suddenly the winter coats really can be packed away for the season. April is glorious in Crimea.

The weather is not warm enough to sunbathe in yet, but in this month Crimea sheds its old winter skin and bursts into a profusion of flowers and leaves. All around there is renewed optimism about the long warm days ahead, and the romantic summer dreams waiting to be fulfilled. When the first weeks of May come around, the long Crimean summer has began again, and the cycle continues...

Here at AccessCrimea we might not be able to change the weather, but we can advise you on the best time to come according to your temperatural needs. To find out more about us, please go to http://www.accesscrimea.com