The climate in North Macedonia

Climate zone: Moderate zone of the northern hemisphere

The climate in North Macedonia is quite varied, but generally does not offer extreme climate conditions. It is cold and wet with some nice summer months. The warmest and at the same time rainiest region is Northeast. The coldest is Pelagonia. Due to the warmer temperatures, the best time for traveling is from June to September. Winter athletes will find their favorite weather conditions in January.

Temperature records of the last 68 years

The hottest temperature measured from 1955 to January 2023 was reported by the Skopje Zajcev Rid weather station. In August 2012, the record temperature of 41.0 °C was reported here. The hottest summer from July to September, based on all 5 weather stations in North Macedonia below 1,320 meters altitude, was recorded in 1988 with an average temperature of 25.4 °C. This average temperature will normally be measured every four to six hours, thus also including the nights. Normally, this value is 21.9 degrees Celsius.

The coldest day in these 68 years was reported by the Bitola weather station. Here the temperature dropped to -24.6 °C in January 2017. Bitola lies at an altitude of 589 meters above sea level. The coldest winter (January to March) was in 2006 with an average temperature of -1.6 °C. In North Macedonia, it is usual to have about 5.4 degrees more at 3.9 °C for this three-month period.

The most precipitation fell in December 1955. With 9.4 mm per day, the Skopje Petrovec weather station recorded the highest monthly average of the last 68 years.

Data basis and methodology

The data from the individual measuring stations are based on the archives of the German Weather Service, individual values averaged and supplemented by own elements. In order to determine a representative national average, average values were first calculated for each part of the country, which were then summarized at the national level. Thus, if a disproportionate number of weather stations are located in a small area, their number does not affect the national average. There are 6 stations in North Macedonia itself. In 2 cases, neighboring but nearby weather stations were also used to obtain more accurate values.