Kiev - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the overall climate: is it extremely hot or cold, wet or dry, at any time of year, for example?
Cold and snowy in winter, beautiful in spring, fall, and summer. Summers are mild and warm, not too humid. - May 2021
Four seasons, with hot summers and snowy winters. - Jun 2018
Similar to New England - long, very cold winters with a lot of snow, but glorious, sunny and not too hot from April through October. And even in the winter, there is plenty of fun stuff indoors and out to do. - May 2017
Overall climate is relatively temperate, though fall and spring are colder than in Washington, DC by quite a bit. The winters are not as severe as in, say, Moscow. Winter is long but not too harsh (though locals kept telling me I was there for two very mild winters!). The toughest thing I found is how slippery the sidewalks get, since no one sands or salts. After one snowstorm, sidewalks were fully iced over for a week afterwards, and most people fell down at least a few times. - Nov 2016
Winter is cold but not as cold as you might think, though I was told that the last two years have been on the mild side. I would compare it to New York or Boston, perhaps. Summers do get hot but not DC hot. - Jul 2016
It's cold in the winter (with temps in the 20s and 30s F), but it's hard to predict how much snow you'll get. We had only three significant snow storms last winter, and this winter, none so far (nearing the end of November). The locals say every year is different, so some years you might get a lot of snow, and other years, hardly any. Supposedly most snowfall is in February and March. It's no worse than US cities like Buffalo, NY, but with less snow. Summers are moderately hot (mostly 80s, with some 90s F); it was hot enough to use the AC in our apartment for several months. Spring and fall are quite pleasant. - Nov 2015
Four seasons. Winter was long and gray, but in the spring the city is transformed to green! - Jun 2015
Winter is a serious part of the Ukrainian experience. During the winter we spent there, we had an inordinate amount of snow. You need to purchase heavy gear; Land's End is a good source. I found Yak trax necessary as well. Make sure your kids are covered from head to toe. The sun basically disappears for eight months out of the year and this can be brutal for those of us not familiar with this kind of climate. Sidewalks and buildings are also not cleared well. We lived off of Artema and our street was not cleared until the end of winter. If you use a stroller, you need a jogger stroller if you hope to use it in the winter. The danger of ice falling from buildings is very real and can restrict your mobility. Try to leave for a good chunk of the winter especially if you have small children. - Apr 2014
FRIGID! Don't forget your Parka, and your kids' parkas x 2. It snowed from November tho April this year, and in April we were slammed with about 3 feet of snow in 2 days. One winter the temperature dropped to -20 degrees F for 3 weeks. The weather here is cold and erratic in the winter. Also, plan your vacations for winter to get out of here if you can. The sun does not really come up, but it is a cloudy, overcast grayness from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when it gets dark again. This lasts from November through March. On the upside, summers are BEAUTIFUL! Great weather, beautiful flowers and trees. Everything blooms and everyone is happy. - Apr 2013
Cold with possible snow November - April. Snow can be heavy at times. - Apr 2013
Minnesota. - Feb 2013
Like the Northeast US. Warm summers, COLD winters (especially early 2012), brief but nice spring and autumn. Sometimes there's a lot of snow, sometimes there's none. Sometimes it's blazing hot in the summer, sometimes it's much more mild. Like I said, like the Northeast US. - Jul 2012
Hot summers, cold dry dreary grey winters. - Aug 2009
9 months of crap and the rest of the year is simply beautiful! - Apr 2008
Much like Chicago or Minneapolis, you suffer for 4 months to get 8 months of absolutely beautiful weather. - Apr 2008
Beautiful for spring, summer, fall with highs in the 80s and 90s (F) and lots of sunshine. The winter is dark with daylight from only about 9am to 3pm in the depths of winter. Heavy snow from time to time, and highs in the 20s and 30s (F), but expect a week or two of highs in the teens or lower. - Feb 2008
