Climate characteristic

Stránky:	Moodle ZČU
Kurz:	CBG/FGCRZ - Fyzická geografie ČR
Kniha:	Climate characteristic

Vytiskl(a):	Nepřihlášený host
Datum:	pondělí, 9. listopadu 2026, 02.52

Obsah

1. General climate conditions
2. Atmospheric circulation
3. Temperature
4. Precipitation
5. Other climate indicators
6. Climate changes

1. General climate conditions

The territory of the Czech Republic is recently located in the transitory temperate climate zone with four seasons. Both oceanic and continental climate influences can be distinguished. The location of the Czechia in Central Europe together with their relief and position in relation to the main pressure systems in the Atlantic-European area, influencing atmospheric circulations patterns, are the main factors deciding about spatial and temporal variability of climate in the Czech Republic.

Temperature conditions largely reflect the location and the elevation. The rainfall pattern is influenced by the elevation, prevalent wind direction and longitude (distance from the ocean).

Average temperature is 7,9^oC and total precipitation is 686 mm/year.

Conclusions:

Main factors which influence the climate here are:

- distance from the ocean (oceanic versus continental type of climate), precipitation pattern is continental (maximum precipitation in summer)

- latitude - insolation difference between north and south of the CZ is 1^oC

- elevation differences - the temperature decreases with increasing elevation, the precipitation increases with increasing elevation

- exposition to the prevalent wind direction - windward western slopes have higher precipitation than leeward slopes

- slope orientation - southern slopes are warmer than northern slopes

2. Atmospheric circulation

The European atmospheric centres of action, extensive and almost stationary low or high pressure areas which control the movement of atmospheric disturbances over the Europe. They influence the weather during the seasons.

The most prominent in the territory of the Czech Republic are:

marine polar air = Icelandic Low - year-round effect, cold rainy winter, rainy cold summer
continental polar air from the Russia = Siberian High - year-round effect, more intense in winter (dry, freeze), warm dry summer
tropical marine air from the Azores Islands = Azores/Bermuda High - year-round effect, more often in summer (warm, storms), warm sunny winter (thaw)
continental tropical air = Iranian Low - occasionally in summer, warm and dry (Indian summer)
arctic air -possible all year round, oceanic (snow, cooling) or continental (rapid cooling, dry)
equatorial air - exceptionally

The position of the polar front is key for the weather in the Czechia. The polar front is the boundary between polar and tropical air masses. The polar front changes its position almost every 5-7 days, which means that the weather changes every 5-7 days.

Fig. 1. Position of the polar front in summer and winter. The Czech area is influenced by the warm tropical air during the summer and by the cold polar air during the winter.

3. Temperature

The average annual temperature is + 7.9 ^oC. The highest is in Prague (10.1 ^oC) and the lowest on the top of the Sněžka Mt. (-0.2^oC), the highest point of the Czech republic. Prague basin is the warmest area and the mountains areas are the coldest (below 3^oC in annual average). See the figure below.

July is the warmest month (sometimes June or August), the average July temperatures are 8-20^oC. January is mostly the coldest months (plus 1^oC till minus 7.5^oC).

The highest ever measured temperature is 40.4^oC from the town of Dobřichovice near Prague which was measured 20th of August 2012. The lowest ever measured temperature (-42.2^oC) was achieved in the town of Litvínovice near České Budějovice the 11th of February 1929.

Fig. 1. Spatial distribution of the average annual air temperature 1981-2010.

graph of monthly temperatures

Fig. 2. Monthly average temperatures in 2019 (blue), long-term average (orange) and deviation from average (grey).

Annual temperature amplitude (the difference between the minimum and maximum monthly temperature) depends on the elevation and longitude. South Moravia, Prague and Labe Basin have the maximum value around 20^oC. It decreases with increasing altitude (the mountains have around 15^oC). It also decreases from the east to west.

We can also observe the temperature singularities during the year. Some of theme are included in the folk sayings/adages. E.g. so called "Ledoví muži " (Ice men) which are connected with a cooling around 12th and14th May caused by the thawing of the arctic sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. Further, so called "Babí léto" (the Indian summer) which means the summer weather (warm, sunny days) in September.

4. Precipitation

Spatial distribution and total amount of the precipitation depends on the altitude and wind direction. The northwest prevailing winds bring moisture from the Atlantic Ocean and the windward parts of the mountain ranges (western slopes) have the higher average annual rainfall than the eastern leeward slopes. Generally, the mountain areas and the western parts of the Czech territory have higher average annual rainfall than the lowlands and eastern part of the territory.

Maximum of the precipitation is in the summer (June and July) and minimum in the winter. The winter precipitation could be also the snow (see Fig. 3 below).

Average annual rainfall is 686 m, minimum near town of Žatec in Central Bohemia (410 mm) and maximum on the Lysá hora Mt. in eastern Silesia (1391 mm). The mountain areas have annual rainfall above 1200 mm and the driest parts of the CR below 500 mm (northwestern Bohemia, Prague area). The area with the lowest amount of annual rainfall are under the influence of so called rain shadow of the Krušné hory Mts.

Fig. 1. Spatial distribution of the average annual precipitation 1981-2010 (Source: Czech Hydrometeorological Institute).

Fig. 2. Monthly average precipitation in 2019 (blue), long-term average (orange) and deviation from average (grey) (Source: Czech Hydrometeorological Institute).

Fig. 3. Average seasonal snow cover depths in 1961-2000 (Source: Atlas of the landscape of the Czech Republic).

5. Other climate indicators

In addition, other climate indicators are monitored. E.g. wind direction and velocity could be essential for energetics and environmental protection, drought for agriculture and drinking water supply, snow cover high for the transportation, tourism and construction. The extreme climate phenomena are under the high attention.

Fig. 1. Drought is the negative climate phenomenon of the 21st Century in the Czech Republic. Water scarcity is the the phenomena that can be observed in many places in the Czech Republic (Source: www.cenia.cz).

6. Climate changes

The climate change is one of the most important topics of the Czech environmental policy. It affects all aspects of the landscape and society. Essential goals are to mitigate the impacts of climate change by adapting to that change, to maintain welfare and to preserve and, where possible, enhance the economic potential for the next generations.

Long-term temperature ans precipitation

Fig. 1. Long-term development of the annual air temperature and annual precipitation are the basic indicators of the climate changes. The trend of increasing average annual temperatures is clearly visible. The precipitation are under the climate normal in the recent years. (Source: www.cenia.cz).

Fig. 2. Water scarcity is a negative climate phenomenon of recent years (Source: www.cenia.cz).