Climate of Albania
Albania has a variety of climate systems. With its coastline facing the Adriatic and Ionian seas in the Mediterranean sea, its highlands backed upon the elevated Balkan landmass, and the entire country lying at a latitude subject to a variety of weather patterns during the winter and summer seasons, however it has a high number of climatic regions for such a small area.[1] The coastal lowlands have typically mediterranean climate while the highlands have a continental climate. In both the lowlands and the interior, the weather varies markedly from north to south.[2]
Under the
Overview
the lowlands have mild winters, averaging about 8 °C (46 °F). Humidity is mostly high with lots of rain. Mountainous regions have many snow days. Summer temperatures average 33 °C (91 °F), humidity is low. Many times, local thunderstorms occur in mountainous regions, caracterized by heavy local downpours and strong local winds.
Inland temperatures are affected more by differences in elevation than by latitude or any other factor. Low winter temperatures in the mountains are caused by the continental air mass that dominates the weather in
Average
Lowland rainfall averages from 1,000 millimeters (39.37 in) to more than 1,500 millimeters (59.06 in) annually, with the higher levels in the north. Nearly 95% of the rain falls in the winter.
Rainfall in the upland mountain ranges is heavier. Adequate records are not available, and estimates vary widely, but annual averages are probably about 1,800 millimeters (70.87 in) and are as high as 2,550 millimeters (100.39 in) in some northern areas. The seasonal variation is not quite as great in the coastal area.
The higher inland mountains receive less precipitation than the intermediate uplands. Terrain differences cause wide local variations, but the seasonal distribution is the most consistent of any area.
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | ||||||||
Avg low (°C/°F) |
0 °C 32.0 °F |
2 °C 36 °F |
5 °C 41 °F |
10 °C 50.0 °F |
16 °C 60.8 °F |
19 °C 66.2 °F |
21 °C 69.8 °F |
20 °C 68.0 °F |
16 °C 60.8 °F |
11 °C 52 °F |
5 °C 41.0 °F |
2 °C 36 °F | |||||||
Avg high (°C/°F) |
8 °C 46.4 °F |
11 °C 51.8 °F |
15 °C 59 °F |
19 °C 66.2 °F |
26 °C 78.8 °F |
30 °C 86.0 °F |
33 °C 91.4 °F |
31 °C 87.8 °F |
26 °C 78.8 °F |
20 °C 68.0 °F |
15 °C 59.0 °F |
11 °C 51.8 °F | |||||||
Humidity in % | 71 | 69 | 68 | 69 | 67 | 57 | 42 | 42 | 54 | 67 | 75 | 73 | |||||||
Sunshine (h/day) | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 15 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 5 | |||||||
Precipitation in days | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 16 | 17 | |||||||
Spring: Climate data |
Climate data for Tirana (7)[a] 1961-1990 normals and extremes 1940-present[b] | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 21.3 (70.3) |
28.0 (82.4) |
30.3 (86.5) |
32.6 (90.7) |
35.9 (96.6) |
39.7 (103.5) |
42.2 (108.0) |
41.4 (106.5) |
39.7 (103.5) |
36.1 (97.0) |
31.3 (88.3) |
22.5 (72.5) |
42.2 (108.0) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 11.6 (52.9) |
12.9 (55.2) |
15.6 (60.1) |
19.0 (66.2) |
23.8 (74.8) |
27.7 (81.9) |
30.7 (87.3) |
30.7 (87.3) |
27.3 (81.1) |
21.8 (71.2) |
17.1 (62.8) |
13.0 (55.4) |
21.0 (69.8) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 6.7 (44.1) |
7.8 (46.0) |
10.0 (50.0) |
13.4 (56.1) |
18.0 (64.4) |
21.6 (70.9) |
24.0 (75.2) |
23.8 (74.8) |
20.7 (69.3) |
16.0 (60.8) |
11.7 (53.1) |
8.1 (46.6) |
15.2 (59.4) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.8 (35.2) |
2.6 (36.7) |
4.5 (40.1) |
7.9 (46.2) |
12.1 (53.8) |
15.6 (60.1) |
17.2 (63.0) |
16.9 (62.4) |
14.1 (57.4) |
10.1 (50.2) |
6.3 (43.3) |
3.2 (37.8) |
9.4 (48.9) |
Record low °C (°F) | −10.4 (13.3) |
−9.4 (15.1) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
2.5 (36.5) |
5.6 (42.1) |
4.2 (39.6) |
10.0 (50.0) |
3.8 (38.8) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
−10.4 (13.3) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 143 (5.6) |
132 (5.2) |
115 (4.5) |
104 (4.1) |
103 (4.1) |
68 (2.7) |
42 (1.7) |
46 (1.8) |
78 (3.1) |
114 (4.5) |
172 (6.8) |
148 (5.8) |
1,266 (49.8) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 16 | 16 | 128 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
74 | 73 | 69 | 72 | 68 | 69 | 62 | 64 | 71 | 70 | 76 | 79 | 71 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 124 | 125 | 165 | 191 | 263 | 298 | 354 | 327 | 264 | 218 | 127 | 88 | 2,544 |
Average ultraviolet index | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
Source: DWD,[4][5][c] Meteo Climat (record highs and lows),[6] NOAA (some records, rain and snow days)[7] and Weather Atlas[8] |
- ^ Elevation at 90 m (300 ft)
- ^ The monthly estimations for rainy and snowy days are not available, only annual.
- ^ ftp://ftp-cdc.dwd.de/pub/CDC/help/stations_list_CLIMAT_data.txt Station ID for Tirana is 13615] Use this station ID to locate the sunshine duration
See also
References
- ^ "Albania". weatheronline.de.
- ^ "Albania - Climate". britannica.com.
- ^ "CLIMATE: ALBANIA". en.climate-data.org.
- ^ "Klimatafel von Tirana (Flugh.) / Albanien" (PDF). Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- ^ "Station 13615 Tirana". Global station data 1961–1990—Sunshine Duration. Deutscher Wetterdienst. Archived from the original on 2017-10-17. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- ^ "Station Tirana" (in French). Meteo Climat. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ^ "Tirane (13615) - WMO Weather Station". NOAA. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
- ^ "Tirana, Albania - Detailed climate information and monthly weather forecast". Weather Atlas. Yu Media Group. Retrieved 2019-07-03.