Weather: Romania, Moldova

Much like Bulgaria to its south, Romania has a four-season climate modulated by extensive highlands. Except for the highest parts of the Carpathians, most of the country will reach 26°C/79°F on a typical mid-summer day. Humidity is highest along the broad Danube valley. The warm season is the wetter time across the heart of Romania, but the thunderstorm action peaks early – in May and June. Otherwise, there's not a lot of moisture; even for central Europe, Romania is a relatively dry land. Transylvania sees a bit more cloud cover, as the prevailing westerly winds ascend the Carpathians; late summer and early autumn are ideal for exploring the hills. Snow falls about every 3 or 4 winter days across most of the lowlands of Romania (it's more frequent and prolonged at elevation, extending well into spring). Winter's cold and snow are well entrenched across northeast Romania and adjacent Moldova, where the northeast crivat winds from Russia are strongest and January-to-February thaws are less common than they are further south. Romania's mildest and driest corner is the Black Sea coastal strip. Winter winds can feel raw here, even with most days rising above the freezing point, but summers are sunny and temperate, with few days of thunder or intense heat.