The Climate of Ukraine
The climate of Ukraine as well as of any other country much depends upon its geographical position. Ukraine is situated in the Southeastern part of Central Europe, so its climate is moderate. Winter is rather mild with no severe frosts but with snowfalls everywhere except its southern part. The rivers and lakes freeze in winter. Summer is hot and dry with occasional rains and thunderstorms.
As Ukraine is rather a big country its climate is different in various regions of it. Of course, the coldest region is that in the North and in the North-east. The hottest one is in the South, it is subtropical here. The climate on the territory along the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov is much warmer. The Carpathian and the Crimean mountains greatly influence the climate in the whole territory of the country: they protect the country from bitter winds.
In the central part of the country the climate is moderate and continental. And now let us characterize every season of the year in this country in general.
The early spring has very changeable weather. It may be cold, and windy, and rainy, and sunny on the same day. But in late spring it is mostly warm and sunny with occasional showers.
In summer the weather is usually warm, sometimes hot and dry. The warmest months are July and August. The average temperature is 25 — 30 C above zero. Autumn is rather warm at the beginning but in the course of time it gets colder, the sky is usually overcast, it often rains. There is a wonderful spell in autumn, the so-called Indian summer, when the weather is warm and sunny, everything looks golden, brown and red.
Winter sets in December with its cold and heavy snowfalls, bitter winds. The coldest month is January. The temperature is about 15 — 20 degrees below zero, but it often happens that winters are rainy and mild and this is most unpleasant time. They say the
climate in Ukraine, like anywhere else, is getting milder with every coming year, though it depends on many reasons.