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Georgia Climate
Georgia's climate is affected by subtropical influences from
the west and mediterranean influences from the east. The Greater
Caucasus range moderates local climate by serving as a barrier
against cold air from the north. Warm, moist air from the Black
Sea moves easily into the coastal lowlands from the west.
Climatic zones are determined by distance from the Black Sea and
by altitude. Along the Black Sea coast, from Abkhazia to the
Turkish border, and in the region known as the Kolkhida Lowlands
inland from the coast, the dominant subtropical climate features
high humidity and heavy precipitation (1,000 to 2,000 millimeters
per year; the Black Sea port of Batumi receives 2,500 millimeters
per year). Several varieties of palm trees grow in these regions,
where the midwinter average temperature is 5° C and the
midsummer
average is 22° C.
The plains of eastern Georgia are shielded from the influence
of the Black Sea by mountains that provide a more continental
climate. Summer temperatures average 20° C to 24° C, winter
temperatures 2° C to 4° C. Humidity is lower, and rainfall
averages
500 to 800 millimeters per year. Alpine and highland regions in
the east and west, as well as a semiarid region on the Iori
Plateau to the southeast, have distinct microclimates.
At higher elevations, precipitation is sometimes twice as
heavy as in the eastern plains. In the west, the climate is
subtropical to about 650 meters; above that altitude (and to the
north and east) is a band of moist and moderately warm weather,
then a band of cool and wet conditions. Alpine conditions begin
at about 2,100 meters, and above 3,600 meters snow and ice are
present year-round.
Data as of March 1994
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