Climate
Craiova weather, month by month
Craiova sits at about 100 metres in the Oltenian plain, with nothing to shelter it, and its climate is continental at both ends: July and August average a daily high of 30 °C and the sunniest months in the country, while January is cold, grey and often fogbound. Rânca, two and a quarter hours north at about 1,600 metres, is the city's standard answer to high summer. The tables below give thirty-year normals for both, so you can plan against what the weather actually does.
Craiova — the year in figures
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain | Wet days | New snow | Sunshine | Crowds | Prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.5°C | −3.3°C | 47 mm | 8 | 18 cm | 131 h | Moderate | Cheapest |
| February | 5.5°C | −1.4°C | 42 mm | 7 | 12 cm | 141 h | Quiet | Cheapest |
| March | 11.9°C | 3°C | 52 mm | 9 | 6 cm | 207 h | Quiet | Cheapest |
| April | 18.3°C | 8.2°C | 62 mm | 11 | – | 234 h | Moderate | Moderate |
| May | 23.8°C | 13.2°C | 75 mm | 14 | – | 277 h | Busy | Moderate |
| June | 27.9°C | 17°C | 86 mm | 16 | – | 328 h | Busy | Moderate |
| July | 30°C | 18.8°C | 84 mm | 14 | – | 358 h | Moderate | Moderate |
| August | 30.1°C | 18.7°C | 52 mm | 10 | – | 338 h | Quiet | Cheapest |
| September | 24.3°C | 14°C | 56 mm | 7 | – | 242 h | Busy | Moderate |
| October | 17.4°C | 8.5°C | 52 mm | 7 | – | 189 h | Moderate | Cheapest |
| November | 9.7°C | 3.3°C | 53 mm | 8 | 7 cm | 114 h | Busy | High |
| December | 3.5°C | −1.9°C | 52 mm | 8 | 13 cm | 109 h | Peak | Highest |
Climate normals 1991–2020 for the centre (≈100 m), from the CERRA regional reanalysis (Copernicus, 5.5 km grid) — a model, not a single weather station. Highs and lows are means of the daily maximum and minimum; a wet day has at least 1 mm of rain, a snow day at least 1 cm of new snow; sunshine is a model estimate. Source: Open-Meteo — CERRA regional reanalysis 1991–2020 (Copernicus)
Rânca — the mountain column
The same thirty years at 1,600 metres, two and a quarter hours north. The July gap between the two columns is the argument for the drive; the winter rows are why Rânca is the nearest snow to Craiova.
| Month | Rânca · 1,600 m | New snow | Snow on the ground | Days with 30 cm+ | Parâng ridge · 1,900 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2.2° / −9.3°C | 31 cm | 65 cm | 24 | −4.8° / −11.4°C |
| February | −1.4° / −9°C | 34 cm | 90 cm | 21 | −4.1° / −11°C |
| March | 1.5° / −6.6°C | 27 cm | 77 cm | 17 | −1.4° / −8.8°C |
| April | 6.3° / −2.1°C | 9 cm | 14 cm | 4 | 3° / −4.8°C |
| May | 10.9° / 2.6°C | – | – | – | 8.1° / 0°C |
| June | 14.5° / 6.4°C | – | – | – | 12° / 4.5°C |
| July | 16.5° / 8.3°C | – | – | – | 13.7° / 6.2°C |
| August | 16.5° / 8.2°C | – | – | – | 13.9° / 6.4°C |
| September | 12.1° / 4.1°C | – | – | – | 9.5° / 2.4°C |
| October | 7.6° / 0°C | 5 cm | 1 cm | – | 5.6° / −1.5°C |
| November | 2.9° / −3.9°C | 16 cm | 7 cm | 2 | 0.9° / −5.4°C |
| December | −1.2° / −7.8°C | 33 cm | 35 cm | 16 | −3.4° / −9.7°C |
Rânca (≈1,600 m) and the Parâng ridge above it (≈1,900 m, temperatures only), 1991–2020, CERRA regional reanalysis. Snow depth is NATURAL snow on the ground, averaged over the month. The column is here for one reason: it is two and a quarter hours from Craiova and the July gap is the argument for the drive. Source: Open-Meteo — CERRA regional reanalysis 1991–2020 (Copernicus)
Pollen in the air today
Nothing the model puts in the air over Craiova right now.
Usually airborne this month: Ragweed.
Modelled by CAMS via Open-Meteo, refreshed every half hour. These are forecast concentrations, not readings from a pollen trap in Craiova, and no severity band is given — thresholds vary between sources and between people.
Every month in detail
The market runs to the 3rd, then the city goes quiet and cheap — grey, often foggy, and the best month for the museums.
Moderate
The quietest and cheapest month of the Craiova year. Nothing is on, which is the entire argument for coming.
Quiet
The thaw. Sunshine hours jump by half, the parks wake up, and the city is still cheap — an underrated month.
Quiet
One of the two best months of the year. Eighteen degrees, everything in leaf, and the heat has not arrived.
Moderate
Warm without being hot, long evenings, every terrace open. The last comfortable month before the plain turns on the heat.
Busy
The heat arrives — 28 °C and 328 hours of sun. Still enjoyable, but you start planning the day around shade.
Busy
The hardest month. Thirty degrees, 358 hours of sun and no shade in the centre — come only if you plan around it.
Moderate
As hot as July but drier and emptier — the locals have left. Cheap, quiet, and only sensible if you like heat.
Quiet
The best month of the year. Twenty-four degrees, the heat gone, the harvest on at Segarcea and the light at its best.
Busy
Romanescu turns, the crowds go, prices fall. The quiet half of the good season and the best month to photograph the park.
Moderate
The month Craiova breaks the national pattern: the Christmas market opens on the 13th, a fortnight before anyone else's.
Busy
Peak of the year. The market is the reason the city is full, and the only question is which weekend you pick.
Peak
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Questions about the weather
What is the hottest month in Craiova?
August, with an average daily high of 30.1°C and 338 hours of sun. Craiova is among the hottest and sunniest cities in Romania, and the centre has very little shade — between eleven and five in summer, the plan is indoors or a park.
How cold does Craiova get in winter?
January is the coldest month, with an average daily high of 2.5°C and an average low of −3.3°C. The signature of a Craiova winter is not snow but fog: the plain holds low cloud for days at a time, and snow days are few.
When does it rain most in Craiova?
June, with about 86 mm. That sounds worse than it is: May rain here arrives mostly as short afternoon storms rather than all-day grey, and it is what keeps the parks as green as they are.
How much cooler is Rânca than Craiova?
In July, Craiova averages a daily high of 30°C and Rânca, at about 1,600 m, 16.5°C. That gap, two and a quarter hours up the road, is why Rânca is the city's standard answer to a heatwave.
When is the best time to visit Craiova?
April to May and September to October. July and August are hard on account of the heat, January and February are grey and quiet, and from 13 November to 3 January the city belongs to the Christmas market.
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