Due to its natural conditions, Carinthia is a country full of climatic contrasts. On the one hand there is the harsh climate of the Hohen Tauern mountains and on the other hand the temperate climate with Mediterranean influence of the lake region. In the Alpine valleys which are protected by high mountains the level of precipitation is generally low. The Alpine main crest divides the country into different weather zones.

The village Ferleiten (1147m), for example, situated in the north of the Tauern mountains has 1285mm precipitation during the whole year, Heiligenblut (1378m) in the south only 859mm. In the farthest south of Carinthia, in the Carnican Alps, the precipitation level is as high as in the north-western edge of the alps (2700 mm/year). The areas of low pressure with humid air in the Mediterranean are responsible for the rain.

In summer the Klagenfurter basin belongs to the Austrian regions with constant summer weather. The high mountains hold back the rain clouds as well as the wind. For this reason the lakes in Carinthia get mixed up less and can gain constantly high water temperatures (25 - 28°C). In fall and winter the mountains and peaks have much more sunshine and clear air (good clear view!) than the valleys and basins that are often covered for days by fog banks. Especially in the Klagenfurt basin this phenomena of different temperatures can be noticed: on the mountains it´s warmer than in the valleys (normally the temperature decreases 1°C per 200 m). In the basin the cold air remains because it is to heavy to rise and continues to cool down. Above this cold air zone, which often gains a height of 1000 m, the air gets warmed by the sun. The consequences regarding the temperature are obvious: the average temperature in January is -4, 8°C in Klagenfurt (445 m), in Heiligenblut (1288 m) -3,6°C.