The Ukrainian Climate

Ukraine has a temperate continental climate, which means cold white winters and beautiful warm summers. Spring and autumn seem somewhat short and mild, but can also be rather sunny. But like many aspects of a country as vast as Ukraine, the weather varies from region to region. The further inland you go, the more extreme the weather, so that northeastern Ukraine suffers from the coldest temperatures in the country, while the south becomes very hot in summertime. The Carpathian Mountains also tend to experience more rainfall (around 30 inches per year) and cooler summers than the rest of the country. On average, Ukraine’s average January temperature is -7 degrees celsius, and the average July temperature is around 25 degrees celsius. A notable difference to the rest of the country is on the southern coast, in Crimea, which has a year-round Mediterranean climate. 

In Kyiv, visitors will often find that it is either far colder or far warmer than previously expected. In winter, temperatures have known to sink as low as -30, though the average is around -6. During this time the city is covered in beautiful white snow, giving an image of what most foreigners imagine the weather in Ukraine to be like. However in summer, temperatures can hit as high as 40 degrees celsius, with an average temperature of 26 degrees. The summers are long, and visitors can expect to see many people enjoying themselves in one of Kyiv’s numerous parks, preparing and eating shashliks while drinking and enjoying themselves with family and friends. The spring and autumn months, whilst short, are usually mild enough to enjoy walks through the city and, if you’re lucky, a few more picnics in the autumn before the winter starts to set in. 

Elsewhere throughout Ukraine, Sevastopol in the Crimea boasts a humid subtropical climate, with mild winters and warmer summers than Kyiv, whilst also having the added attraction of being on the Black Sea coast. Further to the east, in Donetsk, winters are colder (usually an average of -15 degrees celsius) whilst the summers remain similar to those in Kyiv, with temperatures again reaching the mid-20s. Back in the west of the country Lviv has a wetter climate, with warmer winters but colder summers, with much of its rainfall landing in the summer.