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Climate - Estonia


Average weather, temperature, rainfall, sunshine

Flag - Estonia

Map - Estonia

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Index


  • Introduction
  • The seasons - Tallinn

Introduction



In Estonia, the climate is Baltic, ie slightly continental, with cold winters and mild, moderately rainy summers. Estonia is the northernmost of the Baltic republics, and it is also the coldest. The climate is fairly uniform, but the western coastal areas, west of Tallinn, are a bit milder because they receive a greater maritime influence. This influence is far less pronounced along the northern coast, overlooking the Gulf of Finland, because it is a narrow branch of sea that can freeze in winter. In winter, in the vicinity of Lake Peipus, located in the east on the border with Russia, the mitigating influence is virtually absent because in this season the lake almost always frozen.
Precipitation in Estonia follows a pattern similar to that of the other Baltic countries, in fact it is distributed fairly evenly throughout the year, with a relative minimum between February and April and a maximum in summer, but it's slightly more abundant than in Latvia and Lithuania, at least in the north, where it reaches or exceeds 700 millimeters (27.5 inches) per year.

Seasons



Winter in Estonia is very cold: the temperature remains below freezing (0 °C or 32 °F) even during the day for long periods. The average temperature in January and February is around -1 °C (30 °F) on the two main islands (Hiumaa, Saaremaa), around -3.5 °C (25.5 °F) in Tallinn and on the north coast, around -4 °C (25 °F) on the coast of the Gulf of Riga (see Parnu), and finally around -5 °C (23 °F) in the inland north-eastern areas.
Atlantic currents, which sometimes succeed in penetrating the southern part of Scandinavia and in Central Europe, have some difficulty in getting to Estonia. However, weather fronts of Atlantic origin can arrive quite frequenly, giving rise to frequent snowfall, more likely than rainfall.
Cold spells are becoming less frequent, however, the cold records set during past cold spells are around -32 °C (-25 °F) in the western islands and around -40 °C (-40 °F) in inland areas.
The month when the sun is lowest above the horizon and the days are shortest is December, while the coldest month is February, as is often the case in Nordic countries.

In spring, the days get longer, and the temperature rises slowly; in general, the thaw occurs at the beginning of April, even though between late April and early May, the return of cold weather, even with snow showers, is possible. April is a month with great contrasts, so it's still possible to experience some freezing periods, alternating with the first warm days, more likely in the second half of the month. By mid-May, the temperature becomes generally acceptable.

Summer in Estonia is a pleasant season, since the maximum temperatures hover around 20/22 °C (68/72 °F), which means that they are suitable for outdoor activities. Nights are cool, with minimum temperatures around 12/13 °C (54/55 °F), which rise to 15 °C (59 °F) on the west coast.
In spite of this, summer is quite rainy: it rains on average one day out of three, but it is not impossible to see the sun coming out. In inland areas, there's some chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon.
Atlantic fronts can bring some cool and rainy days even in summer. On the other hand, warm air masses from the south-east can bring some hot days, and in these situations the temperature may reach as high as 34/35 °C (93/95 °F) in the interior, but these periods usually don't last long.

Autumn is a dull and rainy season. If in September the temperature can still be acceptable, it quickly becomes colder, so much so that in late October the first snowfalls are possible. Compared with spring, autumn is darker because the days are much shorter, a difference that occurs everywhere outside of the Equator but is more remarkable at high latitudes.

Tallinn in winter

Tallinn

In Tallinn, the capital, located on the norh coast, the average temperature ranges from -3.5 °C (25.5 °F) in February to 17.5 °C (64 °F) in July. Here are the average temperatures.
Tallinn - Average temperatures (1991-2020)
MonthMin (°C)Max (°C)Mean (°C)Min (°F)Max (°F)Mean (°F)
January-6-1-3.1223126.4
February-6-1-3.6213025.6
March-43-0.5253731.2
April195.1334941.2
May51510.3416050.5
June101914.5506758.1
July132217.7567263.8
August122116.6547061.9
September81612.2476154
October496.6394943.9
November042323935.5
December-31-1263430.3
Year2.9106.4537.35043.5

In Tallinn, precipitation amounts to around 700 mm (27 in) per year. The wettest seasons are summer and autumn, the driest is spring. Here is the average precipitation.
Tallinn - Average precipitation
MonthMillimetersInchesDays
January552.213
February351.410
March351.49
April351.47
May401.67
June652.610
July803.19
August853.310
September602.410
October75313
November652.612
December602.414
Year69527.4125

The sun in Estonia is rarely seen from November to February, while from May to August it shines for just more than half the time (the days are very long, so the total amount of sunshine is not low). Here are the average sunshine hours per day in Tallinn.
Tallinn - Sunshine hours
MonthAverageTotal
January125
February255
March4130
April7205
May9.5295
June9.5285
July10305
August8240
September5150
October385
November130
December0.520
Year51825

The sea in Estonia is cold, and in winter it can freeze across the country, but especially in the Gulf of Finland. In summer, the sea reaches 17.5 °C (63.5 °F) in August, so it's not advisable for swimming, except for those who are brave enough. Here is the average sea temperature near Tallinn.
Tallinn - Sea temperature
MonthCelsius (°C)Fahrenheit (°F)
January235
February133
March133
April236
May642
June1152
July1661
August1864
September1558
October1151
November744
December439
Year7.745.8


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When to go and what to pack in Estonia

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