The Sea of Okhotsk ensures Sakhalin has a cold and humid climate, ranging from humid continental (K�ppen Dfb) in the south to subarctic(Dfc) in the centre and north. The maritime influence makes summers much cooler than in similar-latitude inland cities such as Harbin or Irkutsk, but makes the winters much more snowy whilst remaining severely cold, only a few degrees warmer than in interior East Asian cities at the same latitude. Summers are also unpleasantly foggy with little sunshine and the persistently wet conditions are ideal for mosquitoes.
Precipitation is heavy, owing to the strong onshore winds in summer and the high frequency of North Pacific storms affecting the island in the autumn. It ranges from around 500 millimetres (20 in) on the northwest coast to over 1,200 millimetres (47 in) in southern mountainous regions. In contrast to interior east Asia with its pronounced summer maximum, onshore winds ensure Sakhalin has year-round precipitation with a peak in the autumn. Snow packs can reach five metres in mountainous areas of the island
