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About Crimea

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Climate

According to the combination of meteorological elements it is possible to allocate three basic types of climate in Crimea such as:

• dry-temperate continental plain steppe climate, with hot dry summer and cool damp winter,
• temperate -wet -hill-forest mild-continental climate with warm, rather damp summer and cool damp winter,
• submediterranean mild-continental south-coast climate with hot dry summer and relatively warm, damp winter.

There are a lot of intermediate variants between these types of climate. For example, in foothill areas (Simferopol, Zuya, Belogorsk) the climate is transitive from plain steppe to hill-forest - it is possible to call it foothill forest-steppe climate.

In the flat-plain Crimea the climate is steppe, temperately continental, dry: cool winter (average temperature in January is from-3 up to 0°C) and hot summer (average temperature in July is from +21 up to +23°C) Amount of precipitation is - 350-450 mm/a year, and their big part drops out in the summer as downpours.

Distinctions between climates of seaside territories (Chernomorskoye, Yevpatoria, Kerch) and the central part of peninsula (Krasnogvardeyskoye, Dzankoy, Pervomayskoye) are observed. In the seaside part relative humidity and intensity of solar radiation are higher, but cloudiness and amount of precipitation is lower. Such climate can be called marine steppe.

Climatic characteristics of geographical areas of the Crimea

In the foothill area (Simferopol, Belogorsk) the amount of precipitation increases up to 500-600 mm / a year, summer temperatures decrease.

In mountains we can observe the decrease of summer and winter temperatures, the amount of precipitation is increased. Every 100 m high the temperature goes down on average by 0.5-0.6°С, the amount of precipitation grows by 50-70 mm /a year. Therefore, on yailas (Crimean mountain pastures) average monthly winter temperatures comprise up to -4 ... -5 °С, and amount of precipitation - 1000-1500 mm /a year.

As far as the climate concerns, the Southern Coast of the Crimea is the most interesting. This is the only place in Ukraine with a sub-Mediterranean, in other words - almost Mediterranean climate. Winter is soft, with positive temperatures there.

Comparison of climatic characteristics of Yalta and resorts on the Mediterranean coast

The climate of Yalta is cooler in comparison with the resorts located on the Mediterranean Sea. Especially it is true for winter. There are sometimes frosts up to-15 °С in Yalta. Such low temperatures prevent subtropical cultures from growing.

In Crimea there are some hundreds versions of local climates.

The climate in valley of the Salgir River differs from the climate of cuesta ridges by higher daytime temperature and lower temperature at night. The valley winds frequently blow there bringing cool air from mountains.

The specific climate is formed in the Baydarskaya Valley. This part of the valley of the Chernaya River (the Black River) is hollow; therefore, in a windless weather cold air flowing down from the slopes of nearby mountains is accumulated in it. As a result, the absolute minimum of temperature is lower in the valley in comparison with adjoining areas.

Local climates are formed also due to foens, breezes, and hill-valley winds. The influence of breezes is especially bright in the Crimea. They appear in summer and are caused by uneven heating of the land and the sea: in the afternoon the wind blows from the sea to the land, and at night - on the contrary. Breezes can be considered as analogues of Asian monsoons, except the continent (Asia) and the ocean (the Pacific) interact there, and the change of a wind direction occurs in summer and in winter. Due to breezes, summer midday and afternoon heat is softened at the coast.

Location of the Crimea within the limits of the sea variant of East Mediterranean climate makes its climatic conditions really comfortable. Even in Simferopol located not at the coast, but in the central part of the peninsula, the climate is much more comfortable for the person in comparison with the same latitudes (45º) of the Eastern hemisphere (with colder winter and contrast climate in seasons) and Western hemisphere (where summer is rather cool).

• The highest temperature in summer - the absolute maximum (+40.7°С) - was registered in August 1930 in the settlement of Klepinino.
• The lowest temperature in winter - an absolute minimum (-36,8°С) - was registered in January 1940 in the settlement of Nizhnegorsky.
• Winter of 1953-1954 was the coldest and the snowiest when almost for 50 days the temperature was below-10°С.
• Winter of 1965-1966 was the warmest, when there was no snow on the Crimean yailas, and the thawing weather proceeded in Simferopol almost for three months.
• The maximum of precipitation - 1718 mm - was registered in 1981 on the mount of Ai Petri.
• The longest drought was in 1947 when even in mountains there were no rains almost for 100 days.
• The maximum quantity of foggy days (not only in the Crimea, but also in Ukraine) was observed on Ai Petri (in 1970 - 215 days).
• The windiest point not only in the Crimea, but also in Ukraine is Ai Petri (in 1949 the wind velocity was more than 15 m/sec for 125 days). The highest speed of the wind - 50 m/sec - was also registered on Ai Petri.