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Where is the country of Poland located? Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. According to the Köppen climate classification, Poland has a moderate continental climate (types Dfb), with fairly cool winters and fairly warm summers. Poland is one of the driest countries in Europe: most areas have only about five hundred millimeters of precipitation per year, most of which falls from the sky in the winter months.

In comparison with neighboring Germany, it is noticeable that the influence of seawater is even less here. Showers and depressions are less able to reach Poland from the North Sea. Also, the warming influence in the winter months and the cooling influence in the summer is only noticeable along the north coast. It is the somewhat cooler Baltic Sea that influences the climate here.

Unpredictable weather

In terms of precipitation, things are not too bad in Poland, which is also noticeable in the predictability of wet days. The chance that you will be surprised with a wet suit on a day when no precipitation is forecast is a lot smaller than with us. An exception, however, is the summer, when thunderstorms can occur after a period of (very) warm weather.

The temperature in Poland is a lot more fickle than the weather itself. Within a week there can be very large temperature differences. In winter, for example, the thermometer can suddenly drop from around freezing to values ​​far below freezing within a few days. This is especially the case when the flow changes and a supply of cold air suddenly arises from Scandinavia or Russia.

This unpredictability just continues into the spring. The change from cool winter weather to very pleasant spring weather can take place within one or two days. One day you can sit on a terrace, but the next day you walk more with a warm winter coat on. In the fall you see the same pattern. Lovely late summer weather can quickly turn into bleak autumn or even winter weather, with the temperature quickly dropping to the red numbers, especially in November.

Warm summer months

Summers in Poland are warmer than ours, but on average not as warm as in the countries further south along the Mediterranean Sea. With daytime temperatures between 22 and 24 degrees and fairly cool nights, you will not easily get tropical feelings here. However, here too the temperature can rise considerably in the months of July and August. Under the influence of considerable heat in Russia and the supply of this warm air from the east, it can sometimes be well above thirty degrees in Poland. Those who are a little unlucky (or lucky?) will have to deal with a somewhat longer period with tropical temperatures, during which a heat wave can officially be noted. Most years there is a heat wave in most regions of Poland.

Precipitation

The wettest area of ​​Poland can be found in the southwest. The Sudeten, with heights of up to more than fifteen hundred meters, register about eight hundred to more than twelve hundred millimeters of precipitation on an annual basis. In winter, almost all of this falls in the form of snow or sleet. Also along the southern border with Slovakia there is on average somewhat more precipitation than in the rest of the country, just like in the places along the Baltic Sea coast.

In the rest of the country, precipitation is low in winter and slightly higher in summer. The average amounts are still on the low side. However, there is a greater chance of a few days with a reasonable number of hours of precipitation per day.

Winter sports

Poland is not a winter sports country par excellence, but it does have some excellent opportunities for skiing. A popular winter sports resort is Zakopane, which is located on the north side of the High Tatras. This city, with several tens of thousands of inhabitants, is located at an altitude of about 800 meters and is called the winter sports capital of Poland. The winter sports season here usually starts in November and lasts until March. Other ski areas in Poland are Kasprowy Wierch, Gubałówka, and Polana Szymoszkowa.

Climate figures

The figures below are based on long-term average climate statistics. The temperatures are displayed in degrees Celsius (°C).

Best time to visit Poland

Do you want to know when is the best time to travel to Poland? You can determine the best time to travel to a destination based on the weather and climate. In addition, there are other factors that are not directly related to the weather and that can influence the best travel periods for a travel destination. Think, for example, of holidays or festive periods, which makes traveling more interesting or not, because daily life comes to a standstill as a result.

Best months for Poland

When you travel to Poland you will have to deal with a continental climate. Basically it resembles the weather in the Netherlands, but on average it is drier and there are more sharp edges to the seasons. This means that the winter months are more wintery than with us and the summer months have more contrasts. The best time to travel to Poland is summer. Because late spring can be reasonably pleasant and early autumn has sufficiently warm days, you can consider the period from mid-May to mid-September as the best time to travel to Poland. During the daytime summer temperatures are around comfortable values ​​of 22 to 27 degrees Celsius.

Winter

Winter officially lasts from December to February in Poland. In November it can sometimes be cold and a snow shower cannot be ruled out before the winter has actually started. During the daytime temperatures in winter are around or slightly above freezing. It usually freezes during the night. It can come to moderate or even severe frosts inland. In the southern mountain areas, such as the Tatra Mountains, it freezes both during the day and at night in winter.

Spring

Spring arrives in Poland in March. Temperatures are starting to rise and more importantly, the sun is showing itself much more. In May, the twenty-degree limit is regularly exceeded. The outdoors is in full swing. If you want to make a tour through Poland, you can do that from May. The season for city trips to, for example, Gdansk, Warsaw or Krakow is upon us.

Summer

The summer period is the best season for a holiday in Poland. It is often warm and sunny, but there are also times when it can be gloomier, cooler and wetter. Rain that falls in the months of July and August is regularly accompanied by thunderstorms. Anyone who wants to go on an active holiday in Poland should keep in mind that during this period it can be too hot for sports that require a lot of effort. Those who go for a walk in nature must be prepared for a possible weather change during the day.

Autumn

Autumn arrives in September. This is a real transition month. You can have some nice late summer days, but certainly in the second half of the month you will see that the temperatures drop. That takes quite big steps. During November you notice that the weather in Poland turns grey, dull and cool. If you want to travel to Poland in the fall, preferably do so in September. You can still have good weather in October for a city trip.

Winter sports

You can enjoy winter sports in Poland. Those who want to go skiing or snowboarding on the slopes in Poland can often do so from Christmas. It is then cold enough and there should be enough snow in the winter sports areas. The best time to travel for a winter sports holiday in Poland is the months of February and March. The days then become longer, while the snow conditions are generally fine.