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General Information - History - Geography

SOME ADVANCE TIPS AND INFORMATION

One of the largest northern cities in the world, Saint Petersburg lies near the Arctic Circle, on the same latitude as the southern part of Alaska and the southern tip of Greenland. However, despite its northern location, Saint Petersburg has a fairly mild climate: on the average, the temperature is above the freezing point 222 days a year. This is mainly owing to the warm air masses brought to the city by winds from the Atlantic Ocean. When preparing for a trip to Saint Petersburg it is useful to know approximately when the seasons begin and end.

Season	Begins	Ends	Duration in Days
Winter Spring Summer Autumn	December 5 March 17 June 2 September 12	March 16 June 1 September 11 December 4	102 77 102 84

The following data on the mean monthly temperature (Centigrade) in Saint Petersburg will also prove useful:

January February March April May June

- 7.9� - 8.4� - 4.7� + 2.1� + 8.7� +14.8�

July August September October November December

+17.7� +16.1� +10.8� + 4.5� - 1.6� - 6.6�

It is hard to say what time of the year is best for a visit to Saint Petersburg, for each season has its own charm. Winter is a rather fitful season. Cold days often alternate with warmer temperatures bringing heavy snowfalls. But how truly beautiful the winter-time city looks with its gardens and parks blanketed in snow, and the granite embank-ments of the Neva and the palaces glittering with hoarfrost. All this creates an indefinable, fantastic impression. Spring does not arrive all at once. Its first month, March, is very unstable. Only after around April 3 does the temperature consistently stay above freezing. If you come to Saint Petersburg in April or early May, you will be able to see a most thrilling sight-the ice-drift on the Neva. Enormous ice floes, hurried on by the wind and a strong current, race down the river to the Gulf of Finland. Summer in Saint Petersburg is moderately warm. There is less rainfall in July than in June or August, while August is almost 2 �C cooler than July. This can vary, of course, with some years bringing higher temperatures in June than in July or August. Saint Petersburg is famous for its White Nights. They begin after the 10th of June; by this time the sun sets only 9 degrees below the horizon. By June 21 the length of the day has increased to 18 hours 53 minutes. During White Nights, when a faint twilight takes the place of night darkness (and then not even for more than 30-40 minutes), the streets, squares, and embankments acquire a unique charm. The White Nights come to an end around July 2. Autumn really takes over in the middle of September, which is usually a mild month in Saint Petersburg. Only towards the end of the month does the temperature fall below 10 �C. In October, however, freezing weather becomes more common, though there may still be some unexpectedly warm and sunny days. On such days Saint Petersburg is particularly impressive. The gentle rays of the sun play on the gilded steeples and domes, the warm, brilliant colours of the northern autumn paint the gardens, parks and streets of the city. Indeed, Saint Petersburg is magnificent at any time of the year. But this you will discover for yourself.