The climate of Italy
According to the Köppen climate classification Italy has three types
of climates. A large part of the north has a sea climate (types Cfb –
moderate – and Cfa – warm) with relatively mild winters, no extreme
temperatures during the summer and precipitation all year round.
Central and South Italy have a Mediterranean climate (type Csa) with
warm and dry summers and relatively mild winters. The most northern
part of Italy, at the foot of the Alps partly has a high mountain
climate (type EH) and in the lower parts a transitional climate (types
Dfb and Dfc)
Climate information of places and areas in Italy
The climate information on this page is only brief. Specific
information about weather and climate can be found on the climate
pages per area or town. As for Italy the following climate
information is available:
Pleasant spring months
During spring temperatures rapidly rise to pleasant values; which
makes blossoms burst in the beautiful Italian countryside. Italy is at
its best during spring because temperatures are pleasant and the sun
doesn’t shine at its brightest yet. However, it is a bit too early to
book a sunny holiday because the temperature of the sea water is too
cold during March and April. From May it gets pleasant alongside the
pool. However, the weather is quite unstable and chances of cold and
rainy days are still quite high, even in the warmer southern part of
Italy. From the second part of May chances of rainy days decrease and
the temperature of the sea water and the water in the lakes rises to
20 degrees Celsius; for most people very acceptable for swimming.
During the summer (June, July, August) it is warm to very warm in
large parts of Italy. In the south (the area surrounding Naples and
the islands of Sicily and
Sardinia) temperatures may rise to 40
degrees Celsius. In large cities such as Naples and Rome it may get
very muggy. There are little differences in summer temperatures in
Italy. However, because of the length of the country a difference in
temperature between north and south of 15 degrees may be recorded. In
the higher parts of Italy it may even be 20-25 degrees colder than in
the most southern tip of Italy at the same time.
Most of the precipitation in Italy falls west of the Apennines and in
the mountains in the most northern tip of Italy. The windward side of
the mountainous areas get more than 1,200 millimeters of rain per
year. During the winter this may fall in the form of snow. Where and
when most of the rain falls depends on the region and the season you
are in. The southern part of Italy gets most of the rain during the
winter; summers get little or hardly any rain. From September chances
of precipitation increase in the south. The northern part of Italy has
a more unstable pattern. Most of the rain falls during spring. During
the summer showers may occur. Whenever a depression is stopped by the
mountains it may rain for a few days which may cause flooding.
Winter sports in Italy
During the winter a large part of the precipitation falls in the form
of snow above the line Genoa-Venice. In the Dolomites and the Alps
there is enough snow for all kinds of winter sports activities. The
Trentino – Alto Aldige region is a very popular winter sports
destination among both Italians and other Europeans. Other winter
sports destinations are: Südtirol/South Tyrol, Aosta,
Belluno. Italy has beautiful winter sports areas with snow of an
outstanding quality and the Italian cuisine is excellent. Winter sport
in Italy is very popular among hedonists who want to enjoy the Italian
cuisine besides skiing. The winter sport season is from December till
March. However, in some areas it is possible to go skiing earlier than
December. In other places the season even lasts till late spring.
The figures below are based on long term weather and climate
records. They can be seen as an average for Italy. The largest
deviations are: the higher areas get more precipitation (Alps,
Apennines, and Dolomites), the south gets more hours of sunshine and
is warmer (especially along the coast and on Sicily), UV-index figures
are higher in the south. The higher areas have a larger chance of
wintry weather, especially in the north. The sea water temperatures
that are shown are for the north (first figure) and for the south
(second figure). These are extremes.
More climate information
Climate tables are useful but they don’t give an overall picture of
the climate and possible weather conditions during a period of time.
How high the chances are of hot or cold weather or hurricanes can
often not be found in these tables. This is why we offer extra climate
information per month. The information below is an average for Italy
with the exception of areas higher than 800 meters.
The UV-index is an average for Italy; in the north the actual figure
will be slightly lower, in the south slightly higher. The higher
regions get less sunshine, have a larger chance of wintry weather and
are slightly colder.
The information at this site was carefully composed from climate data collected by meteorological services, meteorological offices, climate experts and other sources. “More climate info” is based on statistics, climate data and personal experience. No rights can be derived from this site. Weather has no memory and gives no guaranties. Nothing is as changeable and unpredictable as the weather. The authors of this site feel in no way responsible for any damages caused by misinterpretation or other circumstances that may influence your holiday or trip to a certain destination. We provide information, it’s up to the reader to use it to it’s benefit.