Slovakia's Weather
Q: How does it compare to Pittsburgh?
Pittsburgh's overall temperatures are warmer, because it is farther south than Slovakia. It is also farther inland than Central Europe, so the continental effect on the difference between winters and summers is stronger in Pittsburgh.
Regional weather variations in Slovakia split between the warmer and drier lowlands in the south-west (the Danube and Bratislava) and south-east (Košice), and the rest of the country, which is mountainous and cooler, most so in north-central Slovakia (the historical counties of Orava, Liptov, and Spiš).
Elevation plays a role too. The lowlands are at about 300-500 ft., some of the densely populated areas elsewhere are at 1,500-2,200 ft., and villages can be higher, up to over 3,000 ft. for a few farming communities and resorts in the High Tatras.
Daily highs and lows
Bratislava, south-west, 424 ft., Fahrenheit
J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
33 | 35 | 48 | 55 | 67 | 73 | 77 | 75 | 68 | 55 | 45 | 37 |
24 | 28 | 33 | 42 | 50 | 55 | 58 | 57 | 52 | 49 | 35 | 30 |
Poprad, north-central, 2,205 ft.
J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
28 | 32 | 41 | 52 | 62 | 68 | 71 | 72 | 64 | 54 | 41 | 32 |
12 | 15 | 23 | 32 | 41 | 46 | 50 | 48 | 43 | 33 | 28 | 21 |
Pittsburgh, 715 ft.
J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
37 | 38 | 46 | 60 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 82 | 76 | 64 | 50 | 43 |
21 | 21 | 27 | 38 | 48 | 57 | 61 | 60 | 53 | 42 | 32 | 27 |
(Click on upper Liptov for local seasonal data.)
Precipitation
Bratislava (16.3 inches/year), Poprad (17.4) , and Pittsburgh (36.8). Monthly totals for each city:
J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
1.2 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.3 | BA |
0.7 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.8 | PP |
2.5 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 3.9 | Pgh |
The last line shows that clouds shed more water in Pittsburgh, but the downpours are substantially heavier, so the overall number of hours with rain is not as much higher in Pittsburgh than in Slovakia.
Daylight
Slovakia is farther north than much of the U.S., so the days are somewhat shorter in the winter and longer in the summer. By comparison to Pittsburgh, the shortest day of the year is about an hour shorter and the longest day about an hour longer in Slovakia.
21 Dec | 21 Mar | 21 Jun | ||||
rise | set | rise | set | rise | set | |
Bratislava | 7:39 | 4:00 | 5:53 | 6:05 | 4:51 | 8:55 |
Poprad | 7:30 | 3:43 | 5:40 | 5:52 | 4:34 | 8:46 |
Pittsburgh | 7:41 | 4:58 | 7:25 | 7:33 | 5:50 | 8:54 |
(Pittsburgh has already introduced daylight saving time by 21 March, Europe does so later.)
The difference between the length of time from sunrise to sunset is due to the difference between Slovakia’s and Pittsburgh’s latitudes. The actual time of the sunrise (and sunset) is incidental – it is due to Slovakia’s location east of the Central European Time meridian while Pittsburgh is west of the Eastern Standard Time meridian.