Weather in May in Baltic Cities

[Inter Alia]

Does anyone have info on weather conditon in May in Baltic Cities, including St. Petersburg?

 

What kind of clothing should be packed for a cruise to these cities in May?

[stanj]

Does anyone have info on weather conditon in May in Baltic Cities, including St. Petersburg?

 

What kind of clothing should be packed for a cruise to these cities in May?

 

Average temperature charts tell one story but feeling it is another. Except...anything.

Dress in layers, one day will be +6 C and the next might be +15C, rain is possible as is snow. Last year was unusually rainy but moderate in temperature but the year before saw snow in mid May. This year is expected to be warmer and less moisture but it is a guess. There has been some excellent weather this spring, mixed in with days at a chilly +4-6C

A light jacket covering a lighter sweater would be fine on most days but towards the end of the month expect sunny +20-26C temperatures, where a light shirt and unlined windbreaker would be more than enough. The wind can come up anytime off the Gulf of Finland but usually it is not very forceful, which is why I suggest a light windbreakers even on sunny days until later in the summer when the less covering the better. All summer we had nice weather but we also had a lot of short rain showers lasting 30 minutes or less. Usually the summers are warm and relatively dry, a bit humid reaching into the +30's C.

Hope this helps your packing plans.

[ShamrockFL]

I guess I won't be spending too much time sunbathing on sea days even at the beginning of June. Hey - the good news is that maybe I've finally found a cruise where the pool pigs don't reserve all the poolside chairs by 7 am!

[alpal1993]

I too am concerned with the weather.I checked on http://www.weather.com and you can get forcasted weather for all of the ports you will be visiting.If it doesn't warm up I will have to take my Floridian winter coat.LOL I discovered it would not do me any good if I lived up North,but it will suffice for 40-50 degee temps.I will pack all the warm clothes I took to Alaska last year.We hit a hit wave and no rain the entire 12 days(It did rain late one night).

[Gardendog]

I guess that the weather will be cool in June. It's easier to take off the coat or sweater than wish you had one.

 

Temperatures in the cities will be in the 40 or 50 F. It might warm up to 60 or 70, so layered clothing is a must.

I would bring gloves (not heavy winter ones, but lightly lined leather or Thinsulate), a warm scarf, windbreaker and cotton sweaters or even light fleece to layer with. Shorts/capris are probably not necessary, perhaps one pair for the one nice day. It does not get "hot" usually until July.

[lysolqn]

Cruised the Baltic last May and temps were low 50s to 60s. Mornings tended to be cooler, with it warming up a bit later in the day. Sea days were very cool (one was downright cold and blustery). Tallinn was cold and windy (the kind of cold and windy that makes your eyes tear). For the most part, we layered under a spring jacket and made good use of gloves and a scarf, especially in the morning. The only warm day we had was in Warnemunde when it was warm enough in the afternoon to go without a jacket. With the exception of a few quick downpours in St. Petersburg, we had dry weather all the way, although the cruise following ours apparently hit lots of rain.

[Inter Alia]

Thanks for all the info, which is definitely very helpful.

 

Apart from being desirable, is it necessary to bring along a collapsible umbrella or a poncho?

[stanj]

Thanks for all the info, which is definitely very helpful.

 

Apart from being desirable, is it necessary to bring along a collapsible umbrella or a poncho?

 

A small umbrella is a good idea, because it has the advantage of being able to protect a camera that a poncho does not. If we get rain, it will blow in quickly and out again just as fast. Last year was unusually rainy but each event only lasted an hour at most.

Getting a poncho on and off between clouds is not fun, and once it is wet, it is not comfortable to get out of to get into a van. If you were hiking in the woods for hours I would vote for the poncho but the umbrella is more practical in the city and getting in and out of a van.

May is starting cooler than we expected, about 45F now with rain and snow spits overnight. Last year we already were working on our tans:>)

The word is "Layers" ....and a small collapsable umbrella will meet any need.