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Saint Petersburg, after Moscow, is one of the most densely populated cities in Russia with its approximately five million inhabitants. The ancient capital of Tsarist Russia is located in the north-western part of Russia and overlooks the shores of the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea, making it one of the most important Russian ports. The city of Saint Petersburg is located at an altitude that does not exceed 3 meters above sea level, is crossed by the Neva river which flows into the Baltic Sea and which in winter becomes frozen enough to be crossed on foot. The climate of Saint Petersburg is continental, particularly humid, thanks to its proximity to the sea and the Neva river. So the climate of Saint Petersburg is characterized by long and cold winters and mild and short summers.
WINTER IN SAINT PETERSBURG
Thanks to its proximity to the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland, and to the influence of Scandinavian winds, Saint Petersburg has less severe winters than the city of Moscow which is located in the interior of mainland Russia. In St. Petersburg the long winter season starts in November and ends in late March. The coldest months are January with average minimum temperatures of -8 ° C and February -8.5 ° C. During the winter, winds from Siberia or from the Pole sometimes blow, in these cases temperatures can drop drastically even below -25 ° C!
The snow present for an average of 75 days a year begins to fall from November until March. Between December and February the city receives on average 17 days of snow per month. Precipitation is distributed throughout the year. The rainiest months are the summer and autumn months, between June and October. Due to the high northern latitude of the city, the light hours in winter are very short, the months with the least presence of light are those of December, with an average of 6 hours of light per day, and January with 7 hours of light per day.
SUMMER IN SAINT PETERSBURG
The climate of Saint Petersburg in the summer is mild. But the summer is rather short. In this season, the maximum average temperatures exceed 20 ° C only between June and August. The hottest month of the year is July when average maximum temperatures of 23 ° C and average minimum temperatures of 15 ° C are reached. In summer and autumn the rains are abundant and frequent with monthly averages varying between 20 (September and October) and 17 (July and August) rainy days per month. From late May to mid-July, you can witness the phenomenon of white nights, that is, in this period the night never becomes completely dark. The sunniest month is June with 276 sunny hours per month. In June there are almost 19 hours of light per day.
WHEN TO GO TO SAINT PETERSBURG
The best time to visit the city of Saint Petersburg is therefore that which runs from May to mid-September, even if it coincides with the wettest period. In this period you can in fact enjoy pleasant temperatures as well as long bright days.
Official page of the Russian Institute of Meteorology.
THE CLIMATE OF SAINT PETERSBURG: TABLES CLIMATIC
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| SAINT PETERSBURG (3 meters) | ||||
| Month | Average minimum temperature (°C) | Average maximum temperature (°C) | Precip. (mm) | Rainy days (Snowy days) |
| January | -8,0 | -3,0 | 44 | 9 (17) |
| February | -8,5 | -3,0 | 33 | 7 (17) |
| March | -4,2 | 2,0 | 37 | 10 (10) |
| April | 1,5 | 9,3 | 31 | 13 (3) |
| May | 7,0 | 16,0 | 46 | 16 |
| June | 11,7 | 20,0 | 71 | 18 |
| July | 15,0 | 23,0 | 79 | 17 |
| August | 13,4 | 20,8 | 83 | 17 |
| September | 8,8 | 15,0 | 64 | 20 |
| October | 4,0 | 8,6 | 68 | 20 (2) |
| November | -1,8 | 2,0 | 55 | 16 (9) |
| December | -6,1 | -1,5 | 51 | 10 (17) |
| YEAR | 2,7 | 9,1 | 661 | 173 (75) |
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