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Chapter 29
of
HOW TO EUROPE
The Complete Travelers Handbook
Internet edition. Without photos.
A page from
enjoy-europe.com
with
John Bermont
The sun is always shining, but it may be behind a cloud at the
moment.
HOW'S THE WEATHER?
Travelers need to have some idea of the general flavor of
the temperatures and precipitation. Should you take along a
mackintosh or a bikini, or both?
The Gulf Stream
Most of Europe is further north than Chicago, and none of it is as far
south as Atlanta or Los Angeles. However, this information
won't tell you much about the weather.
The warm Gulf Stream, starting out south of Florida,
crosses the Atlantic and passes all the way up the West Coast of
Europe. This stream moderates the temperature throughout
northern Europe. Norwegian harbors located hundreds of miles
north of the Arctic Circle rarely freeze. Meanwhile cold winds
sweep down from the Arctic and clash with the vapors from this
warm water. This creates a virtual constant drizzle over much of
western Europe. The result is generally cooler and wetter
summer weather than in much of America, but the winters are
not nearly as harsh as in the upper midwest.
Take London for example. London is about 800 miles further
north than Chicago but it has average January temperatures about
15 degrees warmer. It seldom freezes and rarely has snow. But when London has even a
few inches of snow the city shuts down for days. Chicago can be sub-freezing
for weeks on end, and intermittently for six months. The snow in Chicago
is legend, but it is well managed unless a few feet of the stuff comes in. I lived
there in 1967 when we had 24" in two days. The drifts were 6 feet and covered
every car on my street. Wow. But I guess that is nothing compared to Buffalo, NY.
When you go east in Europe you get away from the calming influences of the
ocean. Winters can get mighty fierce out there in Poland and the Ukraine, even in
October. Napoleon and Hitler learned that the hard way.
Off Season
Summer is when most Americans go to Europe because
that's when the school teachers get a two month vacation. They
deserve it. Summers in northern Europe can be warm, though
seldom scorching. Average July highs run in the seventies and
rarely hit ninety. The summer of 2003 was an exception with
weeks of 100o plus temperatures throughout Europe.
Often the best weather to be had is in some month other
than July. In northern Europe, April and May tend to be
the driest months, though they will be a bit cooler than July. I
prefer to travel in the spring for this and a few other reasons.
The tulips are in bloom and there are few tourists about.
Sunshine
None of this applies to Europe south of the Pyrenees and
the Alps, the two mountain ranges forming the French/Spanish
border and the country of Switzerland, respectively.
In many areas of Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and Turkey
there is hardly a drop of rain during July and August and the
thermometer runs in the high eighties. It is no wonder that
planning for an annual one month vacation on one of the
southern beaches is the preoccupation of many northern
Europeans for eleven months of the year.
Summer is not always the best weather for travel. We drove
across Greece to Istanbul in blistering heat. It can really knock
you out if you're not used to this. And I've sweated it out in the
heat and humidity of southern France where it is also buzzing
with mosquitos and flies in the summer. Visit a cathedral if it
gets too warm for you. It is usually 10o or 15o cooler inside.
The Rush
Most European schools are closed for only six weeks,
typically mid-July through August. Most workers enjoy a four to
six week vacation. So everybody goes at the same time. The
result is a procession heading south in middle and late July that
reminds you of the Oklahoma land rush. The dates are infamous
in Holland as a convoy of caravans heads south on the Route du
Solei in eastern France. I was stuck in that traffic several years
ago.
WEATHER DATA
Temperature Scale
The USA uses the Fahrenheit temperature scale. On this scale water freezes at 32oF
and boils at 212oF. Meanwhile Europe uses the Centigrade scale. On this scale
water freezes at 0oC and
boils at 100oC. Learn how to use the Centigrade scale, also known as the Celsius scale
on my page at Weather in Europe.
This page also has on-line links to a number of sources for current weather conditions.
Weather Map
Weather maps and data are printed in the major European
daily papers. The European edition of USA Today provides one
of the best weather maps available anywhere. It can't keep up
with the changes in Holland though. Really terrific storms can
come in off the North Sea faster that you can say Tot ziens ("See
you later.").
Local TV also has periodic weather reports, usually coming
just after the news and sports. Dutch TV has a feature called
teletext which allows you to look at weather maps and data at
your pleasure, 24/7. The controls for teletext may be inside a
special slide-open part of the remote control device. Teletext
also has dozens of other pages featuring news, financial and
market data, sports, and many other things.
For an excellent review of what makes the weather work in
Europe, see
Fair Weather Travel in Western Europe by Edward
D. Powers. This book has historical weather data for scores of
European cities giving average temperatures and precipitation. It
also has some very interesting maps showing why it is the way it
is. You'll be a meteorologist in a week.
NOTE TO READERS
I welcome questions and comments. If you have any concerns about your trip to
Europe that have not been covered well enough in this chapter do not hesitate to write and ask.
When you write please include as much detail as possible. There are about 50 countries in Europe
and they're not all the same like Kansas and Nebraska.
It will help me answer your questions if you mention the countries and/or cities you plan to visit.
I will reply in a day or two. Your privacy is protected.
Your email address and contents of your email are secure and confidential.
My email address is
johnbermont@enjoy-europe.com.
For a check-off punchlist of everything go to The Finale,
Packing List and Last Call:
For Travel in Europe.
Don't forget to scroll through the Table of Contents below. The other 29 chapters of
HOW TO EUROPE
are also available, free to read on line. In addition, the Google search box below can locate specific subjects
in any chapter or page on site.
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