Climate of Italy

The climate of Italy is very different depending on where you are in the country. In the northern and central areas away from the coast, the weather can be humid with warm summers and cool winters. The Po Valley region usually has humid, hot summers and cool winters.

Along the coast, such as in Liguria, Tuscany, and much of the south, the climate is Mediterranean. This means mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers.

There can be big temperature differences between the north and south, especially in winter. For example, it might be snowing and very cold in Milan, while it is much warmer in Rome or even hot in Palermo. In summer, these differences are smaller.

Italy is feeling the effects of climate change. The country sees more extreme weather, like heavy storms, heatwaves, droughts, and flooding. Places like Venice are also dealing with rising sea levels. These changes bring many challenges for Italy’s economy, society, and environment.

Generality

Italy's climate is shaped by the surrounding Mediterranean Seas, which bring warmth and moisture. This creates a Mediterranean climate in much of the country, with some differences based on the land's shape and features.

The climate is also influenced by winds from the west and weather patterns in the Atlantic Ocean. Cold winter air is partly affected by Italy's mountain ranges, the Alps and the Apennines. The Mediterranean's warmth and moisture help to moderate these winter conditions.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Italy

Italy is a country in southern Europe and also part of western Europe. It lies between 35° and 47° N latitude and 6° and 19° E longitude. To the north, it shares borders with Switzerland, France, Austria, and Slovenia, and is surrounded by the Alpine watershed, which includes the Po Valley and the Venetian Plain. To the south, Italy includes the entire Italian Peninsula, crossed by the Apennines, and the two large Mediterranean islands of Sicily and Sardinia, along with many smaller islands. The tiny countries of San Marino and the Vatican City are inside Italy, and Campione d'Italia is a small piece of Italy inside Switzerland.

Italy is in the Northern Hemisphere. It covers an area of 301,230 square kilometres (116,306 sq mi), with most of that being land and a smaller part being water. Italy has a very long coastline of 7,900 km (4,900 mi) along the Adriatic Sea, Ionian Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea, Ligurian Sea, Sea of Sardinia, and the Strait of Sicily. Over 35% of Italy is made up of mountains. The Apennine Mountains run down the middle of the peninsula, and the Alps form the northern border, where the highest point in Italy, Mont Blanc, is found. The Po River, Italy's longest river, flows from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea, passing through the Po Valley, which is the largest plain in the country.

Description

Italy has many different climates. Coastal areas have mild winters and warm, dry summers. Inland areas, especially in the north, can be colder and wetter, with snow in the winter.

Winter temperatures range from near freezing in the Alps to around 12 °C (54 °F) in Sicily. Summer temperatures are usually between 20 °C (68 °F) and over 25 °C (77 °F). The north can have cold, foggy, and snowy winters, while the south is milder and sunnier.

Coastal areas in the east are usually colder in winter than the west coast. Some areas can get strong cold winds, bringing snow and blizzards. In very cold winters, the Venice Lagoon can freeze over. Snow is rare at sea level in the south, but it can happen inland.

Summer is generally more stable, but northern areas often have thunderstorms in the afternoon. The south is usually dry and sunny in summer, while the north can be more humid and cloudy. Spring and autumn can change quickly from warm and sunny to cold and rainy.

Sunshine duration, solar irradiance and cloud cover

Maps show how much sunshine and cloud cover Italy has. Some places, like the coasts of Sardinia, parts of Sicily, and Apulia, get more than 2,600 hours of sunshine each year. That means they have sunny weather more than seven hours a day on average.

Other areas, such as the northern and eastern coasts of Sicily and parts of Apulia, get between 2,400 and 2,600 hours of sunshine a year. Places farther north usually get less sunshine, with some areas seeing fewer than 2,200 hours each year.

The amount of sunlight also affects how warm a place is. Southern parts of Sicily get the most sunlight, while places like Lombardy and parts of the Apennines get less. Clouds are usually least in July and most common in the late autumn and early spring, especially in November.

Precipitation

Lake Garda in spring

Fog in Po Valley is frequent during the winter time

In southern Italy, summers are usually dry, which is typical for areas with a Mediterranean climate. This includes cities such as Naples, Rome, Bari, and Palermo. In northern Italy, rain falls more evenly throughout the year, though summers tend to be a bit wetter. From November to March, the Po Valley often has fog, especially around Pavia, Piacenza, Cremona, and Mantua.

Snow is common from early December to early March in cities like Turin, Milan, and Bologna, but it can sometimes appear in late November, late March, or even April. In the winter of 2005–2006, Milan had about 75–80 centimeters of snow, Como around 100 centimeters, Brescia about 50 centimeters, Trento around 160 centimeters, Vicenza approximately 45 centimeters, Bologna about 30 centimeters, and Piacenza roughly 80 centimeters.

The largest snowfalls often occur in February, but sometimes in January or March. In the Alps, snow falls more in autumn and spring above 1,500 meters because winters are usually cold and dry. The Apennines experience more snow during winter but are warmer and less wet during other seasons. Both mountain ranges can receive up to 500–1,000 centimeters of snow in a year at 2,000 meters. On the highest peaks of the Alps, snow can fall even in mid-summer, and glaciers exist there.

Temperatures

In Italy, summer temperatures are quite similar from north to south. In July, temperatures north of the Po River, such as in Milan and Venice, are usually around 22–24 °C (71.6–75.2 °F). South of the Po River, like in Bologna, temperatures can reach 24–25 °C (75.2–77.0 °F). On the coasts and nearby plains, temperatures range from 23 °C to 27 °C (80.6 °F). August is typically the hottest month in the south, while July is the hottest in the north. During these hot months, temperatures can climb to 38–42 °C (100.4–107.6 °F) in the south and 32–35 °C (89.6–95.0 °F) in the north.

January is the coldest month. In the Po Valley, average temperatures are between −1 °C and 1 °C (30.2–33.8 °F). In cities like Naples and Cagliari, temperatures are warmer, around 9 °C (48.2 °F) and 12 °C (53.6 °F) respectively. In the Alps, temperatures can drop very low, sometimes reaching −30 °C to −20 °C (−22.0 to −4.0 °F). Cities like Rome and Milan can have warmer temperatures in their centers compared to their outskirts during winter.

Climates found in Italy

Further information: Köppen climate classification

Italy has many different kinds of weather. In some places, it is dry and warm, while in others, it is rainy and cooler.

Coastal areas, like Cagliari, Palermo, Naples, Rome, and Pescara, have warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Northern cities such as Milan, Genoa, Venice, Verona, Turin, and Trieste have hot, wet summers and cooler winters with more rain all year. High places in the mountains, like Aosta and Brusson, have cooler summers and cold, snowy winters.

Extremes

Italy has seen some very cold and very hot temperatures. The coldest it has ever gotten in Italy was −49.6 °C, which happened in the Alps in 2013. Near the coast, it got as cold as −24.8 °C in 1985.

Italy has also had a lot of snow and rain. In 1951, there was more than 11 feet of snow in one place in the Alps. Some places get a lot of rain, like Musi, which gets over 130 inches of rain each year. In one day in 1970, a place near Genoa got almost 37 inches of rain.

In the south, it can get very hot. In Sicily, temperatures have reached up to 48.8 °C, which is the hottest temperature ever recorded in Europe.

Climate change

Main article: Climate change in Italy

Italy, like many parts of the world, has experienced big changes in its weather over time, such as very cold periods and warmer times. Recently, the world has been getting warmer, and this has affected Italy too. Since the middle of the 1980s, Italy has seen its temperatures rise compared to the 1960s and 1970s.

Because of where Italy is located, between North Africa and Continental Europe, it faces special challenges. Experts worry that parts of southern Italy might become drier. Since the 2010s, Italy has seen more extreme weather, such as heavier rains and warmer conditions in the Mediterranean Sea.