Warm clothing advisable. This does not necessarily mean you will always need a coat! But there will be days when warmer clothing is needed. In addition to cool daytime temperatures, a month is also given this symbol if night time or early morning temperatures are regularly below 50F (10C).

Ideal for outdoor activity. This symbol signifies that daytime temperatures are good for outdoor activities: sports, sightseeing, hiking. The temperatures are neither too cold nor is the Temperature Humidity Index (a measure of how "hot" it really feels) too high. Even if the temperatures meet the required criteria, this symbol is not present if there is excessive rainfall to interfere with outdoor activities.

Good for sunbathing and/or swimming. This means that daytime temperatures are warm enough to feel comfortable sunbathing and swimming be it by pools or at the beach. This symbol is used regardless of how hot it is. So it does not take into account that some people may not feel comfortable sunbathing in temperatures of, say, 90F (32C).

Good for skiing and wintersports. Resorts also known for wintersports have this section as an extra row in the weatherguides table. This symbol will denote the months that are the best bets for for seeing snow. This is no guarantee of good snow however!

Too hot for most people. This symbol is based on the Temperature Humdity Index. If present, it signifies that many people will feel uncomfortable during the heat of the day. Outdoor activities, especially energetic ones, will be restricted so as to avoid heat-related problems. It may even feel far too hot for non-energetic activities such as sightseeing.

The Holiday Weather Guide recommends. Of course the recommendations are subjective but these are the months when we think the location's weather is at its "best". Its suitability for you depends on what you plan to do. We make the recommendation based on a range of climatological variables - not just those displayed.

Temperatures. The temperatures in the table are the mean values of the maximum and minimum daily temperatures for that month recorded over a period of many years. If they seem low to you remember that these have been recorded in a meteorological screen and hence are in the shade. The temperature in direct sunlight will , in many cases, feel much hotter.