EuroVelo 13 – Iron Curtain Trail (Finland), stage 12: Kesälahti → Imatra
On stage 12 (Kesälahti → Imatra, 142 km) the best month is August: 69% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C, and riding Imatra → Kesälahti meant an average tailwind of 2.2 km/h (ERA5 2006–2025, 9:00–18:00).
← EuroVelo 13 – Iron Curtain Trail (Finland) (Whole route)
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0% | 21% | 47 | -5 °C | 0% | 100% | 6.2 † |
| February | 0% | 18% | 38 | -4 °C | 0% | 100% | 8.8 † |
| March | 2% | 15% | 36 | 1 °C | 0% | 98% | 11.5 |
| April | 24% | 18% | 38 | 7 °C | 0% | 74% | 14.6 |
| May | 65% | 23% | 53 | 15 °C | 0% | 19% | 17.5 |
| June | 69% | 31% | 74 | 19 °C | 1% | 2% | 19.4 |
| July | 66% | 31% | 89 | 22 °C | 3% | 0% | 18.6 |
| August | 69% | 30% | 81 | 20 °C | 0% | 0% | 15.8 |
| September | 64% | 26% | 60 | 15 °C | 0% | 13% | 12.8 |
| October | 19% | 22% | 59 | 7 °C | 0% | 74% | 9.8 † |
| November | 1% | 23% | 54 | 2 °C | 0% | 99% | 7.0 † |
| December | 0% | 23% | 55 | -2 °C | 0% | 100% | 5.4 † |
Best months are all months within 3 percentage points of the best one. † less than 11 hours of daylight — long stages get tight.
Wind by month
| Month | Wind Kesälahti → Imatra, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Kesälahti → Imatra | Headwind > 15 km/h, Imatra → Kesälahti | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2.3 | 10% | 2% | Imatra → Kesälahti |
| February | −2.3 | 7% | 2% | Imatra → Kesälahti |
| March | −2.6 | 10% | 3% | Imatra → Kesälahti |
| April | −1.3 | 8% | 4% | either |
| May | −1.2 | 8% | 4% | either |
| June | −1.8 | 7% | 3% | either |
| July | −1.1 | 6% | 3% | either |
| August | −2.2 | 7% | 2% | Imatra → Kesälahti |
| September | −2.5 | 10% | 3% | Imatra → Kesälahti |
| October | −3.1 | 12% | 3% | Imatra → Kesälahti |
| November | −3.2 | 10% | 4% | Imatra → Kesälahti |
| December | −3.8 | 12% | 2% | Imatra → Kesälahti |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in August, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 1,378–1,403 | S | −1.1 |
| 1,403–1,428 | SW | −2.0 |
| 1,428–1,454 | SW | −2.3 |
| 1,454–1,479 | SW | −2.5 |
| 1,479–1,504 | SW | −2.7 |
| 1,504–1,520 | SW | −2.5 |
Other stages
- Näätämö → Inari 142 km
- Inari → near Sodankylä 120 km
- near Sodankylä → Pyhäjärvi 137 km
- Pyhäjärvi → Salla 142 km
- Salla → Kuusamo 119 km
- Kuusamo → near Kostomuksha 119 km
- near Kostomuksha → near Kostomuksha 119 km
- near Kostomuksha → near Lieksa 119 km
- near Lieksa → near Lieksa 120 km
- near Lieksa → near Tuupovaara 119 km
- near Tuupovaara → Kesälahti 125 km
- Kesälahti → Imatra 142 km
- Imatra → Vaalimaa 146 km
How to read the numbers
Wind is the 10 m wind of a 25-km grid cell, daytime hours 9:00–18:00 local solar time; at saddle height in a sheltered valley it is weaker, on a coast or ridge stronger. A positive value is a tailwind. ERA5 slightly over-counts days with ≥ 1 mm of rain (by about 5–7 percentage points) and underestimates daily highs by 1–2 °C. Good day = less than 1 mm of rain between 9:00 and 18:00 (riding hours, local solar time) and a high between 10 and 30 °C; rain at night or in the evening does not spoil it.