Seasons

Liptov Hole

Late spring snow

 

 

 

 

 

Uper Liptov

Summer poppies

 

 

 

 

 

Colchicum

Fall, valley

 

 

 

 

 

Gentiana

Fall, slopes

 

 

 

 

 

Liptov winter

December to March

Musings in 1792

From the thoughts that the Scottish physician Robert Townson jotted down while traveling through Upper Liptov in 1792 (abridged):

Liptov field

But before I travel further, before I leave my pleaſant alpine views, let me pauſe and anſwer ſome queſtions which I fancy I hear: How do men live there? In such a climate?

liptovvillage

Though this valley is high, and grows little wheat, and wine and tobacco, yet it is as well cultivated and as well peopled as any part of the Kingdom of Hungary. From the high ſituations I was often in, I had always the pleaſing ſight of a well-peopled country below me, and frequently could count at one glance near a ſscore of villages.

Liptov Krivan

And public inſtruction, how is that? – Not worſe than in other countries: moſt of the villages have their miniſters and their ſchool-maſters, and this is more than can be ſaid of ſome other countries which boaſt much of their advantages. But education, on which every thing in ſociety depends, how it is neglected every where!

Upper Liptov climate

Q: What were the farmers' seasons in Liptovská Kokava?

The data below are for Liptovský Hrádok (2,090 ft.), Upper Liptov County, a town about 8 miles from Liptovská Kokava. The village of Liptovská Kokava is about 500 ft. higher, the climate would have been marginally colder.

The division into seasons is based on average daily temperatures given in parentheses followed by the average date of the beginning and end of the season. With seasonal events of concern to farmers, the earliest date of the event in parentheses is followed by the average date of the event, and then the latest date on record in parentheses. The data are averages from diverse climatological records covering up to several decades during various periods of the 20th century. Click here for temperatures over the past millennium.

Winter

Average temperatures below freezing through 8 March.

Post-winter

Earliest signs of spring (32-42 F) 9 March – 4 April
March - Days with maximum temperature below freezing: 4
March - Days with snowfall: 6

Spring

(42-50 F) 5 April – 3 May
Last day with snow cover: (earliest 10 March) 5 April (latest on record 15 May)
April - Days/nights with frost: 16
Begin - field work: (29 March) 13 April (26 June)
April - Days with snowfall: 1-2
Last snowfall: (11 March) 21 April (22 May)

Late spring

(50-58 F) 4 May – 11 June
May - Days/nights with frost: 4

Summer

(Over 58 F) 12 June – 27 August
Begin - mow meadows for hay: (23 June) 5 July (17 July)
Begin - harvest spring barley: (2 August) 15 August (30 August)
Begin - harvest oats: (11 August) 23 August (11 September)
Historical (no daylight saving time) summer solstice dawn 2:53 a.m., sunrise 3:36 a.m.; sunset 7:49 p.m., dusk 8:32 p.m.

Early fall

(58-50 F) 28 August – 2 October
Begin - lift potatoes: 13 September
September - Days/nights with frost: 5
Autumnal valley flower: Meadow saffron = Autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale)
Autumnal mountain flower: Willow gentian (Gentiana asclepiadea)

Fall

(50-42 F) 3 October – 1 November
Substantial yellowing of mountain ash: 6 October
October - Days/nights with frost: 15
October - Days with snowfall: 1-2
1st day with snowfall: (23 September) 30 October (23 December)

Pre-winter

(42-32 F) 2 November – 5 December
November - Days/nights with frost: 19
November - Days with snowfall: 4-5
November - Days with maximum temperature below freezing: 3-4
1st day with snow cover: (19 October) 17 November (28 December)

Winter

Average temperatures below freezing from 6 December.
Winter solstice dawn 6:56 a.m., sunrise 7:33 a.m., sunset 3:46 p.m., dusk 4:24 p.m.

Daily highs and lows

J F M A M J J A S O N D
30 34 43 54 63 69 73 72 66 55 43 35
13 17 24 33 41 46 49 48 42 34 29 21

Monthly averages in Fahrenheit.