Climate

The country's climate, which ranges between maritime and continental, is relatively mild. Average temperatures on the coast are 1.6°C in January and 17.8°C in July.

In Vilnius the average temperatures are 2.1°C in January and 18.1°C in July. The average annual precipitation is 71 cm on the coast and 49 cm in the eastern part of the country. The growing season lasts 202 days in the western part of the country and 169 days in the eastern part.

In Kaunas (elevation 75 m), in the centre of the country, average temperatures are at their lowest in January at -5°C (with a minimum of -10°C and a maximum of -4°C), and their highest in July, at 17°C (with a minimum of 11°C and a maximum of 23°C). Rainfall averages from 3 to 10 cm a month, with the greatest amounts falling in July and August (9 cm a month or more), with the least (less than 4 cm) falling between December and March. Between November and January, the city receives 1 hour of sunshine a day; sunlight hours reach their peak in June and July, with 9 hours per day. Humidity is at its lowest between March and August (69 to 79%), rising to a high of 87-88% between November and January.

Lithuania experienced a drought in 2002, causing forest and peat bog fires. The country suffered along with the rest of Northwestern Europe during a heat wave in the summer of 2006.