Whats The Weather Like?
No-one in their right mind would come to Scotland for its hot and sunny weather, but although the climate can be uncertain the Gulf Stream (North Atlantic Drift) keeps us safe from the extremes of cold you’ll find in other parts of Scotland, and even in winter you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how mild our climate is on the west coast. When there’s snow on the mountains, it can still be T-shirt weather on the beach. However, it does rain a lot in the winter, especially at sea level, and the winds can be strong. In May, June and July the days are long and at midsummer, it’s still twilight at midnight. Come in August/September to see the heather in bloom, October/November for the autumn colours, which are spectacular. The first snowfall on the mountain peaks comes in late October or early November. On a clear night the lack of light pollution means a perfect view of the Milky Way and it’s sometimes possible to see the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights), like a shimmering silver curtain in
skies that would put a British ‘summer’ to shame, with temperatures firmly in the mid to high twenties. However we are in the mountains and when it rains at 2600m you can get cold very quickly. We have even been snowed on in the middle of July, just after a 30°C day, so always be prepared for a little cold snap.
Paris has basically the same four seasons that we have, except with much less snow and much more rain. Other than that there is nothing consistent about the weather. We’ve been to Paris in July, when it was 50 degrees, and we’ve been in February, when it was a sunny 70 degrees. For weather forecasts, www.meteo.fr TIP: Make sure you ask about air conditioning because a lot of hotels do not have it.
Vera Playa has a superb climate – the warmest winters in Europe and hot summers which are relieved by sea breezes, and (generally) very settled weather with dawn to dusk sun as normal. The dry atmosphere is excellent for sufferers from arthritis and other complaints which are aggravated by a damp atmosphere.
Panama has two climates-the lowlands including Panama City which are tropical and humid and the highlands which have spring-like temperatures year round. In the lowlands, temperatures during the day range between 80 F and 90 degrees Fareinheit ( 25-30 degrees Celsius).It cools off in the evenings which are invariably pleasant. In the Highlands the day range is between 45F and 85F. Panama has two seasons- the “dry” season and the “green” season. The dry season is from mid-December until May and green season from May until December. “Dry” means it does not rain and the green season means typically a refreshing tropical shower late each afternoon. It rarely rains all day which means that afternoon show is no obstacle to tourism activities. The exception to this rule is Bocas del Toro, where it does rain all day from time to time and occasionally in the Highlands as well.
