Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Moldova Moldova

In Moldova, the summers are warm; the winters are freezing, snowy, and windy; and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 24°F to 83°F and is rarely below 8°F or above 93°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Moldova for warm-weather activities is from late May to mid September.

The warm season lasts for 3.7 months, from May 21 to September 10, with an average daily high temperature above 73°F. The hottest month of the year in Moldova is July, with an average high of 82°F and low of 61°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.6 months, from November 20 to March 7, with an average daily high temperature below 44°F. The coldest month of the year in Moldova is January, with an average low of 24°F and high of 34°F.

In Moldova, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Moldova begins around May 26 and lasts for 4.3 months, ending around October 5.

The clearest month of the year in Moldova is July, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 75% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 5 and lasts for 7.7 months, ending around May 26.

The cloudiest month of the year in Moldova is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 63% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Moldova varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 3.7 months, from April 5 to July 27, with a greater than 18% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Moldova is June, with an average of 7.4 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 8.3 months, from July 27 to April 5. The month with the fewest wet days in Moldova is January, with an average of 3.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation in Moldova changes throughout the year.

Rain alone is the most common for 11 months, from February 4 to December 27. The month with the most days of rain alone in Moldova is June, with an average of 7.4 days.

Snow alone is the most common for 1.3 months, from December 27 to February 4. The month with the most days of snow alone in Moldova is January, with an average of 1.6 days.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Moldova experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 9.9 months, from February 29 to December 27, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Moldova is June, with an average rainfall of 1.9 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 2.0 months, from December 27 to February 29. The month with the least rain in Moldova is January, with an average rainfall of 0.4 inches.

Snowfall

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Moldova experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly snowfall.

The snowy period of the year lasts for 4.7 months, from November 2 to March 24, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Moldova is January, with an average snowfall of 4.5 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 7.3 months, from March 24 to November 2. The least snow falls around July 28, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

The length of the day in Moldova varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 8 hours, 28 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 15 hours, 56 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:08 AM on June 15, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 44 minutes later at 7:52 AM on January 1. The earliest sunset is at 4:15 PM on December 10, and the latest sunset is 4 hours, 51 minutes later at 9:05 PM on June 25.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Moldova during 2024, starting in the spring on March 31, lasting 6.9 months, and ending in the fall on October 27.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

The perceived humidity level in Moldova, as measured by the percentage of time in which the humidity comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable, does not vary significantly over the course of the year, staying within 4% of 4% throughout.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Moldova experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 5.8 months, from October 29 to April 24, with average wind speeds of more than 9.1 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Moldova is March, with an average hourly wind speed of 10.2 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 6.2 months, from April 24 to October 29. The calmest month of the year in Moldova is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.1 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Moldova varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the south for 1.2 months, from April 4 to May 10 and for 2.6 weeks, from November 4 to November 22, with a peak percentage of 33% on May 7. The wind is most often from the north for 5.8 months, from May 10 to November 4 and for 4.4 months, from November 22 to April 4, with a peak percentage of 47% on August 11.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Moldova throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Moldova for general outdoor tourist activities is from late May to mid September, with a peak score in the second week of August.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Moldova for hot-weather activities is from early July to mid August, with a peak score in the first week of August.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Moldova typically lasts for 6.5 months (198 days), from around April 9 to around October 25, rarely starting before March 22 or after April 28, and rarely ending before October 8 or after November 12.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Moldova should appear around April 14, only rarely appearing before April 2 or after April 29.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.8 months, from April 30 to August 23, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.7 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Moldova is July, with an average of 6.8 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.6 months, from October 30 to February 16, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 2.3 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Moldova is December, with an average of 1.2 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Moldova are 47.250 deg latitude, 28.583 deg longitude, and 335 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Moldova contains significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 623 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 417 feet. Within 10 miles contains significant variations in elevation (1,060 feet). Within 50 miles also contains very significant variations in elevation (1,421 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Moldova is covered by cropland (71%) and trees (14%), within 10 miles by cropland (55%) and trees (30%), and within 50 miles by cropland (64%) and trees (18%).