EuroVelo 13 – Iron Curtain Trail (Finland), stage 5: Salla → Kuusamo
On stage 5 (Salla → Kuusamo, 119 km) the best month is July: 66% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C; the wind barely favours either direction (0.5 km/h on average; 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% | 15% | 33 | -9 °C | 0% | 100% | 4.2 † |
| February | 0% | 15% | 26 | -8 °C | 0% | 100% | 8.0 † |
| March | 0% | 15% | 30 | -2 °C | 0% | 100% | 11.4 |
| April | 4% | 18% | 36 | 3 °C | 0% | 96% | 15.3 |
| May | 41% | 24% | 50 | 10 °C | 0% | 51% | 19.3 |
| June | 59% | 34% | 75 | 16 °C | 0% | 14% | 24.0 |
| July | 66% | 33% | 85 | 19 °C | 0% | 2% | 21.4 |
| August | 63% | 32% | 86 | 16 °C | 0% | 6% | 16.9 |
| September | 42% | 25% | 65 | 11 °C | 0% | 44% | 13.0 |
| October | 1% | 23% | 59 | 3 °C | 0% | 98% | 9.3 † |
| November | 0% | 19% | 43 | -2 °C | 0% | 100% | 5.5 † |
| December | 0% | 19% | 42 | -5 °C | 0% | 100% | 2.5 † |
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 Salla → Kuusamo, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Salla → Kuusamo | Headwind > 15 km/h, Kuusamo → Salla | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2.3 | 6% | 3% | Kuusamo → Salla |
| February | −2.9 | 6% | 2% | Kuusamo → Salla |
| March | −0.9 | 5% | 5% | either |
| April | +0.4 | 3% | 6% | either |
| May | −0.5 | 4% | 5% | either |
| June | +0.5 | 3% | 6% | either |
| July | −0.5 | 2% | 3% | either |
| August | −1.8 | 4% | 3% | either |
| September | −1.9 | 7% | 4% | either |
| October | −1.8 | 6% | 4% | either |
| November | −2.7 | 6% | 2% | Kuusamo → Salla |
| December | −3.1 | 7% | 2% | Kuusamo → Salla |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in July, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 540–565 | SE | −0.4 |
| 565–590 | S | −0.6 |
| 590–616 | S | −0.5 |
| 616–641 | S | −0.5 |
| 641–659 | S | −0.4 |
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.