Montenegro's lower areas enjoy a Mediterranean climate, having dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Temperature varies greatly with elevation. Podgorica, lying near sea level, is noted for having the warmest July temperatures in Yugoslavia, averaging 81 F (27 C). 

Cetinje, in the Karst at an elevation of 2,200 feet, has a temperature 10 F (5 C) lower. January temperatures range from 46 F (8 C) at Bar on the southern coast to 27 F (-3 C) in the northern mountains. 

Montenegro's mountainous regions receive some of the highest amounts of rainfall in Europe. Annual precipitation at Crkvice, in the Karst above the Gulf of Kotor, is 194 inches (4,928 millimetres). Like most areas along the Mediterranean Sea, precipitation occurs principally during the cold part of the year, but in the higher mountains a secondary summer maximum is present. Snow cover is rare along the Montenegrin coast. It averages 10 days in karstic polje depressions and increases to 120 days in the higher mountains.