<P> Western Europe has an Oceanic climate, far southern Europe has a Mediterranean climate, and eastern Europe is classified as having a Continental climate . The climate of western Europe is strongly conditioned by the Gulf Stream, which keeps mild air (for the latitude) over Northwestern Europe in the winter months, especially in Ireland, the UK and coastal Norway . </P> <P> Parts of the central European plains have a hybrid oceanic / continental climate . Four seasons occur in most of Europe away from the Mediterranean . The coastal lowlands near and on the Mediterranean Sea, have more of a wet and dry season pattern, with winter the season of most rainfall, and summers a time of few rainy days . </P> <P> The Prevailing westerlies create the basic climate across much of Europe . The Siberian High brings colder, drier weather from the east . Away from the sea, parts of Central and Eastern Europe have a borderline Oceanic / Continental Climate as they are milder than they would otherwise be due to the open ice - free waters of the North / Baltic Seas and lack of mountain barriers, but are not as mild as the Western coasts, and are subject to more frequent snowfalls . The Danube region through the Balkans, Ukraine and Southern Russia have a continental climate with cold winters and hotter summers, some areas bordering on a dry steppe climate with only certain months of higher precipitation, often due to thunderstorms . </P>

Explain the reasons for variations in climate during the winter season in europe