Geography

Environmental condition
Latitude 49° 44´ N
Longitude 13° 23´ E
Elevation 293 - 452 m (961 - 1,483 feet) above sea level

The city of Plzen is situated in the Plzen basin on the confluence of four rivers - Mze, Radbuza, Uhlava and Uslava; the river resulting from the confluence is called Berounka. The city centre is approx. 310 m above the sea level; there are several hills elevated more than 400 m above the sea level in the outskirts. The shortest distance from Plzen to the sea is less than 500 km, to the Sczecin Gulf in the Baltic Sea or to the Trieste Gulf in the Adriatic Sea. However, the city isn’t directly connected to the sea by inland ship transport. 

CLIMATE

The area of Plzen belongs to the area of moderately warm climate with a long and dry summer, short and mildly warm transition seasons of spring and autumn and a very dry winter with short-lasting snow cover.

Long-term climate indices (1961 - 1990) (Bolevec district)
Average yearly precipitation 527 mm
Average yearly precipitation (Radcice district) 500 mm
Average temperature 7.5 °C (45.5 °F)
Absolute maximum temperature 40.1 °C (104.2 °F)
Absolute minimum temperature - 28.0 °C (-18.4 °F)
Average number of hours of sunshine per year 1,400 hours
Average number of foggy days per year 62

Prevailing wind directions:
West 22%
South-west 18%
Calm 10%

ENVIRONMENT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMMES

1. Air quality monitoring (a network of six stations)
2. Master plans of the city energy-supply system
3. Plans for waste-management
4. Proposal of a basic communication system
5. The city development plan approved in 1995 and its up-dated version valid since January 15, 2003
6. Plan of the city landscape regeneration
7. The environmental programme of the city” takes into account the new environmental standards and laws being adopted in the Czech Republic.

Source: Cesky hydrometeorologicky ustav Plzen (Czech Hydrometeorological Institute), city of Plzen