Climate and average weather in Chisinau
In Chisinau, the summers are warm, showery, and mostly clear and the winters are very cold, snowy, and mostly cloudy.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Chisinau typically varies from -5°C to 28°C, and is rarely below -14°C or above 33°C. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Chisinau for warm-weather activities is from late April to early October.
- Hottest
- Jul
- 28°
- Coldest
- Jan
- -5°
- Wettest
- Jun
- 69 mm
- Driest
- Feb
- 27 mm
- Rain / yr
- 531 mm
- 90 wet days
- Daylight
- 8.3–15.7 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 24 m
- 47.0°N
- Clearest
- Aug
- 41% cloud
Chisinau is capital of Moldova.
- Density
- 5,171/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1436
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Chisinau weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around late April to early October.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Chisinau, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 4.2 months, from May 14 to September 17, with daily high temperatures above 21°C. The hottest month of the year in Chisinau is July, with an average high of 28°C and low of 17°C.
The cool season lasts 3.4 months, from November 22 to March 3, with daily high temperatures below 6°C. The coldest month of the year in Chisinau is January, with an average low of -5°C and high of 1°C.
Days typically run about 8°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 11°C) in August.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 1 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 22 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 22 | 15 | 8 | 2 |
| Avg low (°C) | -4 | -3 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 7 | 2 | -3 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | -4 |
| Feb | 3 | -3 |
| Mar | 9 | 1 |
| Apr | 16 | 6 |
| May | 22 | 11 |
| Jun | 26 | 15 |
| Jul | 28 | 17 |
| Aug | 27 | 16 |
| Sep | 22 | 12 |
| Oct | 15 | 7 |
| Nov | 8 | 2 |
| Dec | 2 | -3 |
How hot and cold Chisinau really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -10°C (around January 30), with roughly 142 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C), worst in January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 1 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 22 | 25 | 28 | 27 | 22 | 15 | 8 | 2 |
| Air high (°C) | 1 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 22 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 22 | 15 | 8 | 2 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | -9 | -8 | -3 | 3 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 11 | 4 | -1 | -7 |
| Air low (°C) | -4 | -3 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 7 | 2 | -3 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | 1 | -9 | -4 |
| Feb | 3 | 3 | -8 | -3 |
| Mar | 9 | 9 | -3 | 1 |
| Apr | 16 | 16 | 3 | 6 |
| May | 22 | 22 | 10 | 11 |
| Jun | 25 | 26 | 15 | 15 |
| Jul | 28 | 28 | 17 | 17 |
| Aug | 27 | 27 | 16 | 16 |
| Sep | 22 | 22 | 11 | 12 |
| Oct | 15 | 15 | 4 | 7 |
| Nov | 8 | 8 | -1 | 2 |
| Dec | 2 | 2 | -7 | -3 |
Average hourly temperature in Chisinau
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 28°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near -5°C.
Chisinau weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1° / -5° | 33 | 6.6 | 4.8 | 8.7 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 3° / -3° | 27 | 5.8 | 3.4 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 9° / 1° | 35 | 7.9 | 2.3 | 11.6 | 1.7 |
| Apr | 16° / 6° | 47 | 8.8 | 0.3 | 13.3 | 4.9 |
| May | 22° / 11° | 54 | 10.1 | 0 | 14.8 | 6.6 |
| Jun | 26° / 15° | 69 | 10.5 | 0 | 15.6 | 6.7 |
| Jul | 28° / 17° | 59 | 9.1 | 0 | 15.3 | 6.6 |
| Aug | 27° / 16° | 49 | 6.6 | 0 | 14 | 7.1 |
| Sep | 22° / 12° | 48 | 7.1 | 0 | 12.4 | 7.1 |
| Oct | 15° / 7° | 40 | 6 | 0 | 10.6 | 4.9 |
| Nov | 8° / 2° | 36 | 5.5 | 1.6 | 9.1 | 1.4 |
| Dec | 2° / -3° | 35 | 6.4 | 3.6 | 8.4 | 0.0 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Chisinau gets about 531 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 4.6 months, from around Mar 15 to Jul 31, peaking in June at about 36% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Nov 4.
June is the wettest month by volume, with 69 mm over about 11 wet days; February is the driest, with 27 mm. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 21 | 21 | 25 | 30 | 32 | 35 | 29 | 22 | 23 | 19 | 18 | 21 |
| Rain days | 7 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21 | 7 |
| Feb | 21 | 6 |
| Mar | 25 | 8 |
| Apr | 30 | 9 |
| May | 32 | 10 |
| Jun | 35 | 11 |
| Jul | 29 | 9 |
| Aug | 22 | 7 |
| Sep | 23 | 7 |
| Oct | 19 | 6 |
| Nov | 18 | 6 |
| Dec | 21 | 6 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Chisinau collects about 531 mm of rain across 90 wet days — roughly 44 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. June is the wettest month with 69 mm, while February is the driest at just 27 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 34% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 33 | 27 | 35 | 47 | 54 | 69 | 59 | 49 | 48 | 40 | 36 | 35 |
| Rain days | 7 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Snow days | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 7 | 5 |
| Feb | 27 | 6 | 3 |
| Mar | 35 | 8 | 2 |
| Apr | 47 | 9 | 0 |
| May | 54 | 10 | 0 |
| Jun | 69 | 11 | 0 |
| Jul | 59 | 9 | 0 |
| Aug | 49 | 7 | 0 |
| Sep | 48 | 7 | 0 |
| Oct | 40 | 6 | 0 |
| Nov | 36 | 6 | 2 |
| Dec | 35 | 6 | 4 |
Snow in Chisinau
Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.
Chisinau averages about 16 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Nov 1 to Apr 12 — about 5.4 months.
December is snowiest, with roughly 4 days of snow and an estimated 19 cm of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 81 cm of snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow days | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Snowfall (cm) | 19 | 20 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 19 |
| Snow days | Snowfall (cm) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | 19 |
| Feb | 3 | 20 |
| Mar | 2 | 11 |
| Apr | 0 | 3 |
| May | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 2 | 8 |
| Dec | 4 | 19 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Chisinau, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around April 24 and lasts for 5.9 months, ending around October 21. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 72% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around October 22 and lasts for 6.0 months, ending around April 23. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 75% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 25 | 27 | 36 | 41 | 50 | 56 | 69 | 72 | 55 | 46 | 32 | 27 |
| Cloudier (%) | 75 | 73 | 64 | 59 | 50 | 44 | 31 | 28 | 45 | 54 | 68 | 73 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | 75 |
| Feb | 27 | 73 |
| Mar | 36 | 64 |
| Apr | 41 | 59 |
| May | 50 | 50 |
| Jun | 56 | 44 |
| Jul | 69 | 31 |
| Aug | 72 | 28 |
| Sep | 55 | 45 |
| Oct | 46 | 54 |
| Nov | 32 | 68 |
| Dec | 27 | 73 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 15, brings about 15 h 42 min of light; the shortest, around December 14, only 8 h 18 min — a swing of roughly 7 h 24 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 8.7 | 10.0 | 11.6 | 13.3 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.6 | 9.1 | 8.4 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:53 | 7:20 | 6:27 | 5:24 | 4:36 | 4:15 | 4:30 | 5:07 | 5:49 | 6:31 | 7:17 | 7:51 |
| Sunset (PM) | 4:35 | 5:19 | 6:02 | 6:45 | 7:26 | 7:55 | 7:50 | 7:10 | 6:09 | 5:08 | 4:23 | 4:11 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.7 | 7:53 | 4:35 |
| Feb | 10.0 | 7:20 | 5:19 |
| Mar | 11.6 | 6:27 | 6:02 |
| Apr | 13.3 | 5:24 | 6:45 |
| May | 14.8 | 4:36 | 7:26 |
| Jun | 15.6 | 4:15 | 7:55 |
| Jul | 15.3 | 4:30 | 7:50 |
| Aug | 14.0 | 5:07 | 7:10 |
| Sep | 12.4 | 5:49 | 6:09 |
| Oct | 10.6 | 6:31 | 5:08 |
| Nov | 9.1 | 7:17 | 4:23 |
| Dec | 8.4 | 7:51 | 4:11 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Chisinau averages about 9 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 4 and 16 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 6.3 months, from around Apr 23 to Oct 30. The sunniest month is August, with roughly 16 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is January, down near 4 sunny days — about 72% fewer than the August peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 4 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Sky | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Bright | Mixed | Mixed | Gloomy | Gloomy |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Gloomy |
| Feb | 4 | Gloomy |
| Mar | 7 | Gloomy |
| Apr | 8 | Gloomy |
| May | 10 | Mixed |
| Jun | 10 | Mixed |
| Jul | 13 | Mixed |
| Aug | 16 | Bright |
| Sep | 12 | Mixed |
| Oct | 10 | Mixed |
| Nov | 6 | Gloomy |
| Dec | 5 | Gloomy |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Chisinau, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 3.2 months, from around May 31 to September 4. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 39% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 5 to May 30, and April is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 84 | 45 | 28 | 39 | 78 | 93 | 100 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 29 | 33 | 35 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 29 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Muggy (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 84 | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| Jun | 45 | 29 | 21 | 4 |
| Jul | 28 | 33 | 29 | 10 |
| Aug | 39 | 35 | 20 | 6 |
| Sep | 78 | 17 | 5 | 0 |
| Oct | 93 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Wind in Chisinau is steady company: average speeds sit near 11 km/h — calm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | calm |
| Feb | 12 | calm |
| Mar | 12 | calm |
| Apr | 11 | calm |
| May | 10 | calm |
| Jun | 10 | calm |
| Jul | 10 | calm |
| Aug | 10 | calm |
| Sep | 10 | calm |
| Oct | 11 | calm |
| Nov | 11 | calm |
| Dec | 11 | calm |
Best time to visit Chisinau
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Chisinau throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early May, Chisinau is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Chisinau for general outdoor tourist activities is from late April to early October, with a peak score in the first week of September.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 4.8 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 7.0 | 7.1 | 4.9 | 1.4 | 0.0 |
| Rating | poor | poor | poor | fair | good | good | good | good | good | fair | poor | poor |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.0 | poor |
| Feb | 0.0 | poor |
| Mar | 1.7 | poor |
| Apr | 4.8 | fair |
| May | 6.6 | good |
| Jun | 6.7 | good |
| Jul | 6.6 | good |
| Aug | 7.0 | good |
| Sep | 7.1 | good |
| Oct | 4.9 | fair |
| Nov | 1.4 | poor |
| Dec | 0.0 | poor |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Chisinau for hot-weather activities is from mid June to early September, with a peak score in the second week of August.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Chisinau, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 28°C), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 1°C), pack a warm layer and a heavy coat.
In July, Chisinau sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 17°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Chisinau by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chisinau peaks around July 14 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Low | Moderate | High | Moderate | Very high | Very high | Very high | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 2 | Low |
| Mar | 3 | Moderate |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 5 | Moderate |
| Jun | 8 | Very high |
| Jul | 8 | Very high |
| Aug | 7 | Very high |
| Sep | 5 | Moderate |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 1 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Average hourly UV index in Chisinau
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in July the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 4.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6.5 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 2 | 0 |
| Apr | 6 | 0 |
| May | 6.5 | 0 |
| Jun | 8 | 4 |
| Jul | 8 | 4.5 |
| Aug | 7 | 3 |
| Sep | 5 | 0 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Growing season
The growing season in Chisinau typically lasts about 259 days, from around March 12 to November 25 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 8 to October 21.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 20 | 27 | 57 | 94 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 93 | 64 | 29 |
| Frost nights | 31 | 28 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 30 | 31 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | 31 |
| Feb | 27 | 28 |
| Mar | 57 | 31 |
| Apr | 94 | 7 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 93 | 11 |
| Nov | 64 | 30 |
| Dec | 29 | 31 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Chisinau banks about 1,516 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 195 | 308 | 378 | 363 | 200 | 38 | 0 | 0 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 0 |
| Apr | 33 |
| May | 195 |
| Jun | 308 |
| Jul | 378 |
| Aug | 363 |
| Sep | 200 |
| Oct | 38 |
| Nov | 0 |
| Dec | 0 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Chisinau receives about 3.6 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — moderate — with a clear seasonal swing between 0.9 and 6.1 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.0 months, from around Mar 22 to Sep 20. The brightest month is June, averaging about 6.0 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is December, down near 1.0 kWh/m² — roughly 84% less than the June peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 1.2 | 2.0 | 3.3 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 5.3 | 3.8 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 1.0 |
| Level | Dim | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Bright | Moderate | Moderate | Dim | Dim |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1.2 | Dim |
| Feb | 2.0 | Moderate |
| Mar | 3.3 | Moderate |
| Apr | 4.7 | Bright |
| May | 5.7 | Bright |
| Jun | 6.0 | Intense |
| Jul | 6.0 | Intense |
| Aug | 5.3 | Bright |
| Sep | 3.8 | Moderate |
| Oct | 2.4 | Moderate |
| Nov | 1.3 | Dim |
| Dec | 1.0 | Dim |
Where is Chisinau?
Chisinau sits at 47.0°N, 28.9°E, 24 m above sea level, in Moldova. The nearest listed city is Codru, 5.0 km away.
What Chisinau looks like
Topography around Chisinau
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Chisinau.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Chisinau has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 161 m around an average of 84 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 269 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 434 m.
The land around Chisinau is covered by artificial surfaces (64%) and trees (34%) within 3 km, trees (30%), cropland (29%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and cropland (55%) and trees (23%) within 80 km.
Moldova travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type C / F
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 43% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $8,622
- 2025
- Happiness
- 5.9 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 76%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 2.5
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 7.3
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Moderate
- EF EPI 531
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Chisinau (47.009°, 28.8594°, elevation 24 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).