Hungary is situated in the temperate zone, on the borderline of, and affected by, three large climatic zones: oceanic, continental and Mediterranean. It is prone to rhapsodic weather changes and, due to the relative isolation of the Carpathian Basin, the climate has a tendency for droughts, especially on the Great Plain.
The annual average mean temperature is 9.7 °C in the whole of the country and 11.2 °C in Budapest. The mean temperature in the hottest month, July, is 20.0 °C, in the coldest month, January, 2.1 °C. On a hot summer day temperatures may reach 33-38 °C, while in cold winters temperature may drop to 25.0. -30.0 °C.
In the central part of the Great Plain the annual average rainfall varies between 470-550 mm, in the mountains, 700-800 mm. The number of days when the land is covered with snow is relatively few.
The number of hours of sunshine varies between 1700-2200 hours per year, the area between the rivers Danube and Tisza being the most sunny, while the regions with the least amount of sunshine are the Alpokalja (Lower Alps) and the Northern mountains.The annual average wind speed is 2.4 m/sec.