Zonal circulation to shape September on Poland's Baltic coast

September's weather along Poland's Baltic coast, from Szczecin in the west to Krynica Morska on the Vistula Spit, will be steered by lows travelling from west to east along an undulating polar front. That means a predominance of westerly winds, showers and thunderstorms interspersed with calmer weather windows, and temperatures still warm for the start of autumn. That is the picture emerging from preliminary forecasts by Damian Zbieg, meteorologist for Daily Mare's sister title Gazeta Morska and the Polish weather service Meteo24.com.pl.

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31 august 2026   |   09:52   |   Source: Gazeta Morska   |   Prepared by: Kamil Kusier   |   Print

fot. Mariusz Jasłowski

Fronts over the coast in the first week

The final day of August will see an atmospheric front crossing the country from west to east with showers and local thunderstorms, some potentially severe, and the coast will get its share. On 1 September showers and storms will develop again in the inflowing polar maritime air, especially in the north of Poland, meaning mainly along the coast, accompanied by a stronger westerly wind.

– It should be fairly typical for this time of year, still warm, periodically hot, but with somewhat cooler spells interspersed with rain and thunderstorms – this is how Damian Zbieg describes the first days of September.

From Wednesday to Friday the pattern will repeat. Another low-pressure system will bring showers, again mainly to the northern part of the country, while the south of Poland, closer to the axis of a ridge of high pressure extending from the Azores, should stay calmer. Thermometers there will show up to +25°C, while on the coast temperatures will hold at around +18°C.

A high for the weekend, a dynamic second week

Over the weekend of 5-7 September a transient high will bring a short pause in the dynamics - for many sailors potentially the best window for a longer passage or the trip back to the home port. The second week of the month is expected to bring another series of vigorous Atlantic lows: strong winds, rain and thunderstorms will be frequent over the sea, with only brief lulls between successive systems. Coastal temperatures will stay moderate, and any short-lived heatwaves are expected to affect mainly the south of the country.

– Ahead of us is the typically changeable weather of late summer, steered by lows travelling one after another from west to east along a clearly undulating polar front. It will be mostly warm, periodically hot – Damian Zbieg sums up.

September against the long-term norm

The direction of the preliminary synoptic forecasts is consistent with the experimental long-range outlook of Poland's Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW-PIB), which points to an average September temperature above the 1991-2020 norm across the country, including Pomerania, with precipitation within the norm. The institute stresses that long-range forecasts are experimental and describe averaged conditions, so the actual course of the weather may differ - a caveat that also applies to the preliminary outlook for the second half of the month.

Conditions for sailors: westerlies and weather windows

For the Polish coast, zonal circulation means a predominance of winds from the west and north-west. During frontal passages and near active lows, periods of strong wind and a well-developed sea have to be expected - westerly directions have a long fetch over the southern Baltic, so waves can build quickly. In such conditions particular caution is needed at the entrances to the small harbours of the central coast, including Darłowo, Ustka, Rowy and Łeba, where strong winds and waves from the northerly sector can produce breaking seas on the approaches.

Sheltered waters are gentler in westerly flows. The Gulf of Gdańsk and Puck Bay remain a good choice for the end of the season, although on the Szczecin Lagoon and the Vistula Lagoon strong winds quickly build a short, steep and tiring chop. Longer passages, such as returns from Bornholm or Swedish ports, are best planned in the weather windows between lows, like the high expected on the first weekend of the month. Following IMGW-PIB marine forecasts for the Southern Baltic and the coastal zone, along with the warnings issued by the institute's marine forecast office in Gdynia, remains essential.

Water still warm, beaches without lifeguards

The Baltic enters September still warm after the summer. In early August IMGW-PIB readings along the Polish coast ranged from 18.6°C in Darłowo to 23°C in Łeba, and in September the water usually cools gradually towards the mid-teens. Upwelling remains a factor to watch, as stronger offshore or southerly winds can push warm surface water out to sea and lower the temperature near the beach by as much as 8-10 degrees within hours.

Most supervised bathing areas close for the season at the end of August, so September swimming usually takes place without lifeguards on duty. With onshore winds and bigger waves the risk of rip currents grows, so bathers should be cautious and enter the water only in calm seas. September also traditionally opens the autumn storm season on the Baltic - the closer to October, the more attention to the weather matters for anyone afloat.

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