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Climate and weather remain to be one of the most important tourist issues of Saint-Petersburg since to enjoy this magnificent city in full you should be properly prepared to the possible weather changes. To put it in just one word, St. Petersburg weather is variable. In this Northern city the weather is the topmost source of surprises. That is why even in the heat of summer many wise locals still carry their umbrellas with them. It does not rain all the time, but you never know when it will. It might get quite windy too. At any rate, weather forecasts on TV and radio always get the highest ratings.
St. Petersburg's climate is mild compared to that of the more inland areas of Russia. The city is on the Baltic Sea, which makes winters relatively mild, but summers are not particularly hot either. It is humid all year round.
Winters are long as in most areas of Russia. Temperatures as low as -10 Co are normal, and - 20 Co is not unusual. The average winter temperature is -6.9 Co. The Neva River freezes between November 25 and December 5 and the ice is gone only by mid-April. The Neva River is an essential part of St. Petersburg's world-famous charm. Since the very first days of the city the Neva was meant to be the "main street of the city". Throughout most of the 18th century there were no bridges across the river and people were ferried from one bank to the other, just the way Peter the Great intended when he founded his "Venice of the North" and "Paradise". The Neva river is only 46 1/4 miles long, flowing from the Lake Ladoga to the Gulf of Finland, in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea. Before joining the Baltic, the Neva splits into several branches forming a delta, where downtown St. Petersburg is located.Very few things can be more romantic than strolling along the Neva's granite-clad embankments and admiring open bridges, marvelous architecture.
Springs can be quite long. From early April temperatures are above freezing and by April 15 all the snow normally melts. One should be prepared for some chilly rainy days, but it can get rather warm mid-May onwards.
Summers vary from year to year, but generally temperatures are somewhere near +20-25 Co. You ought to have some clear days to enjoy the White Nights. The average July temperature is + 17.8°C. The weather conditions of the city are much different from what you can see in the most North European cities. Hot sunny days are not rare, but you never know when it is going to rain. July is the hottest month of the year. It usually starts getting a bit cooler in mid-August. August is the rainiest month. High humidity is the result of the lack of sunny days.The highest temperature ever recorded in the city was +33.6 Co.
Autumns (feel free to call it Falls) start with reasonably warm days in mid-September, but by mid-October it is often chilly. The average September temperature is 10.8 Co, and the average October temperature is 4.9 Co . In November it might start to snow, but sometimes it does not snow until mid-December.
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