EuroVelo 13 – Iron Curtain Trail (Finland), stage 8: near Kostomuksha → near Lieksa
On stage 8 (near Kostomuksha → near Lieksa, 119 km) the best month is August: 68% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C, and riding near Lieksa → near Kostomuksha meant an average tailwind of 2.0 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% | 19% | 42 | -8 °C | 0% | 100% | 5.3 † |
| February | 0% | 16% | 33 | -7 °C | 0% | 100% | 8.4 † |
| March | 1% | 16% | 36 | -1 °C | 0% | 99% | 11.5 |
| April | 14% | 22% | 41 | 5 °C | 0% | 85% | 14.9 |
| May | 52% | 25% | 57 | 13 °C | 0% | 34% | 18.3 |
| June | 64% | 32% | 78 | 18 °C | 1% | 6% | 21.0 |
| July | 63% | 35% | 93 | 20 °C | 1% | 1% | 19.7 |
| August | 68% | 31% | 84 | 18 °C | 0% | 2% | 16.4 |
| September | 50% | 27% | 74 | 12 °C | 0% | 30% | 12.9 |
| October | 5% | 24% | 64 | 5 °C | 0% | 92% | 9.6 † |
| November | 0% | 24% | 56 | -1 °C | 0% | 100% | 6.3 † |
| December | 0% | 23% | 56 | -4 °C | 0% | 100% | 4.2 † |
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 near Kostomuksha → near Lieksa, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, near Kostomuksha → near Lieksa | Headwind > 15 km/h, near Lieksa → near Kostomuksha | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2.8 | 9% | 2% | near Lieksa → near Kostomuksha |
| February | −3.2 | 9% | 2% | near Lieksa → near Kostomuksha |
| March | −1.9 | 9% | 5% | either |
| April | −0.5 | 6% | 5% | either |
| May | −0.9 | 7% | 4% | either |
| June | −0.5 | 5% | 4% | either |
| July | −0.4 | 4% | 3% | either |
| August | −2.0 | 6% | 2% | near Lieksa → near Kostomuksha |
| September | −2.5 | 9% | 4% | near Lieksa → near Kostomuksha |
| October | −2.8 | 10% | 3% | near Lieksa → near Kostomuksha |
| November | −3.4 | 10% | 2% | near Lieksa → near Kostomuksha |
| December | −4.0 | 11% | 2% | near Lieksa → near Kostomuksha |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in August, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 896–921 | S | −2.2 |
| 921–946 | SW | −2.7 |
| 946–972 | S | −2.2 |
| 972–997 | SE | −1.0 |
| 997–1,015 | S | −2.2 |
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.