EuroVelo 13 – Iron Curtain Trail (Finland), stage 13: Imatra → Vaalimaa
On stage 13 (Imatra → Vaalimaa, 146 km) the best month is June: 74% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C, and riding Vaalimaa → Imatra meant an average tailwind of 3.1 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% | 22% | 53 | -4 °C | 0% | 100% | 6.4 † |
| February | 0% | 19% | 44 | -3 °C | 0% | 100% | 8.9 † |
| March | 2% | 17% | 38 | 1 °C | 0% | 98% | 11.6 |
| April | 24% | 17% | 37 | 7 °C | 0% | 75% | 14.6 |
| May | 69% | 21% | 48 | 15 °C | 0% | 17% | 17.3 |
| June | 74% | 25% | 62 | 19 °C | 1% | 1% | 19.1 |
| July | 72% | 25% | 74 | 22 °C | 3% | 0% | 18.4 |
| August | 70% | 29% | 82 | 20 °C | 1% | 0% | 15.7 |
| September | 69% | 24% | 65 | 15 °C | 0% | 9% | 12.8 |
| October | 24% | 24% | 69 | 8 °C | 0% | 66% | 9.9 † |
| November | 1% | 25% | 63 | 3 °C | 0% | 98% | 7.2 † |
| December | 0% | 25% | 64 | -1 °C | 0% | 100% | 5.6 † |
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 Imatra → Vaalimaa, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Imatra → Vaalimaa | Headwind > 15 km/h, Vaalimaa → Imatra | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2.6 | 16% | 5% | Vaalimaa → Imatra |
| February | −2.6 | 12% | 4% | Vaalimaa → Imatra |
| March | −2.9 | 14% | 4% | Vaalimaa → Imatra |
| April | −2.0 | 11% | 6% | either |
| May | −2.1 | 11% | 5% | Vaalimaa → Imatra |
| June | −3.1 | 11% | 4% | Vaalimaa → Imatra |
| July | −2.4 | 11% | 5% | Vaalimaa → Imatra |
| August | −3.4 | 13% | 4% | Vaalimaa → Imatra |
| September | −3.3 | 15% | 5% | Vaalimaa → Imatra |
| October | −3.6 | 18% | 6% | Vaalimaa → Imatra |
| November | −3.7 | 16% | 6% | Vaalimaa → Imatra |
| December | −4.3 | 20% | 5% | Vaalimaa → Imatra |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in June, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 1,520–1,545 | SW | −2.5 |
| 1,545–1,570 | SW | −2.7 |
| 1,570–1,596 | SW | −4.3 |
| 1,596–1,621 | SW | −4.0 |
| 1,621–1,646 | W | −3.6 |
| 1,646–1,666 | SE | −1.3 |
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.