Moments where the weather has to play along
Some trips stand or fall with the weather: snow at Christmas, a clear night for the northern lights, a dry day under the cherry blossom. For each moment we work out the odds from the climate data of 1996–2025.
- Stowe · late September to mid-October
Fall foliage in Vermont
Maples in red and gold, white church spires, crisp mornings – the colours need sunny days and cold nights.
Dry days in October: 56 %
- New York · December
Christmas in New York
The tree at Rockefeller Center, skaters below the skyscrapers – and the hope of snow. How likely is a white Christmas?
Snow chance in December: 23 / 100
- Salzburg · Advent
Christmas market in Salzburg
Mulled wine below the fortress, carols where ‘Silent Night’ was born – best of all with snow on the roofs.
Snow chance in December: 54 / 100
- Sydney · 31 December
New Year's Eve in Sydney
Fireworks over the Harbour Bridge on a warm summer night – the odds of a dry evening are good.
Dry days in December: 72 %
- Tromsø · September to March
Northern lights in Tromsø
Tromsø lies right under the aurora oval. The lights are there on most dark nights – the question is whether the clouds let you see them.
Clear dark hours in January: 3.8 h
- Kyoto · late March to early April
Cherry blossom in Kyoto
A week of pink, then it's over. Rain and wind can end hanami early – here are the odds of dry days.
Dry days in April: 66 %
- Lofoten · late May to mid-July
Midnight sun in Lofoten
From late May to mid-July the sun never sets over Lofoten's peaks – if the clouds stay away.
Clear sky in June: 34 %
- Oia · May to October
Sunset in Santorini
The whole village waits for the moment the sun sinks into the Aegean – in summer the sky is almost always clear.
Clear sky in June: 93 %
- Göreme · April to October
Hot-air balloons in Cappadocia
Dozens of balloons over the fairy chimneys at sunrise – but only when wind and weather allow.
Dry days in September: 93 %
- Munich · late September
Oktoberfest in Munich
Inside the tents the weather doesn't matter – outside it decides between a sunny beer garden and a long, wet queue.
Dry days in September: 60 %
Climate averages 1996–2025 (sunshine partly WMO station normals 1991–2020), not a forecast. Data: Copernicus ERA5 / ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0), NOAA OISST, WMO 1991–2020 (NOAA NCEI), GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Sources & licences