Italy Weather: Everything You Need To Know

Climate

Italy sees a diverse climate due to its longitudinal extensions. The northern and central regions experience humid subtropical to a humid continental climate, in some areas it is oceanic. The southern part of the country sees a rather typical Mediterranean climate.

Apart from north Italy, the rest of the country is surrounded by five seas. On its eastern side, there is the Adriatic Sea, at the south is the Ionian Sea, towards the southwest is the Mediterranean Sea and at the west side of the country are the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea. There are mountainous landscapes within the country including the Alps and Apennines Mountains.

We will mainly delve into the climatic conditions of three major cities in Italy…  Venice, which is located in the northeast part of Italy, Rome, located in the central region and Palermo, located in the southwest part of Italy in Sicily.

Normally Italy experiences hot and dry summers and chilly and damp winters. Italy receives rain throughout the year but the amount of rainfall varies depending upon different climatic zones and regions.

Three different seashores are considered in this article to show the sea temperature patterns in the country… Trapani in Sicily from Mediterranean shore, Bari sea beach of Puglia from Adriatic shore, and west Amalfi coast.

Temperature

Although temperature varies across places, Palermo and Rome see hot summers and rather comfortable winters, whereas Venice sees cool winter and warm summers.

The difference between the maximum and minimum temperatures in Rome hovers around 9 to 12 degrees C throughout the year. The average minimum temperature in Rome during winter is 3.1 degrees in January and the maximum is 13 degrees C in February. Overall Rome experiences a comfortable winter.

Spring is the most comfortable season with maximum temperature ranging from 15 degrees to 23 degrees. Summers are very hot in Rome with maximum temperature occasionally crossing 31 degrees mark in August. Minimum temperature ranges between 15 to 19 degrees C. Fall (i.e. autumn) is warmer than spring with an average maximum temperature of 26.5 and 21.3 in September and October respectively, but the minimum temperature during this period remains moderate with an average of 13 degrees.

Venice experiences chilled winters and warm summers due to its semi-continental weather with an oceanic influence. The minimum temperature drops to a sub-zero level in January while in February the maximum is 8.6 degrees. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons in Venice. The maximum temperature in spring peaks to 21.5 degrees C in May while the minimum comes down to 4.1 degrees C in March.

Autumn sees a maximum of 23.5 degrees C in September and a minimum of 9.6 degrees C in October. November is as a typical transition month towards winter. Summers are rather warm with maximum touching 27.7 degrees C in July.

Palermo from the southwest sees a typical Mediterranean climate with hot summers and comfortable winters. Winter temperature hovers around 14 to 16 degrees (maximum) and 9 to 11 degrees minimum. Spring temperatures are quite comfortable too in Palermo with maximum touching almost 23 degrees in May and minimum temperatures ranging between 10 to 15 degrees.

Summers are hot in Palermo with the highest temperatures touching almost 30 degrees C in August and lowest temperatures ranging between 19 to 23 degrees C. Autumn too is quite warm in Palermo with the highest crossing 27 degrees C mark in September and the lowest around 17 degrees C during October. See the weather charts of these three cities below.

Sea Temperatures

The three seas chosen here have very little differences (1 to 2 degrees) in water temperatures.

The Mediterranean Sea at Trapani sees moderate temperatures during winters and springs with minimum water temperature hovering around 13 degrees and the maximum between 15 to 22 degrees C. Summer and autumn see much warmer sea temperatures with a maximum of 28.3 degrees C in August and a minimum of 19.6 degrees C in June. The minimum sea temperature in October (19.8 C) is higher than June’s minimum.

The water temperature of the Adriatic Sea is slightly cooler than the Mediterranean Sea during winter but almost at par in summer. The minimum temperature during winter and spring ranges between 12 to 15 degrees C, while the maximum ranges between 14.7 to 21.4 degrees C. Summer and autumn experience warmer temperatures with a maximum ranging between 25 to 28 degrees C and a minimum between 14 to 23 degrees C.

Sea temperatures on the Amalfi coast are similar to Trapani. Maximum temperatures in winters hover around 15 with a highest in December (18.3 degrees C) and minimum water temperature hovers around 13 degrees C with a highest in December (14.5 degrees C). Spring witnesses a gradual increase in maximum and minimum temperatures with a range of 16 to 23 and 12 to 15 degrees C respectively. The sea is warmer during summer and autumn. Summer sees around 28 degrees maximum while in autumn the highest average sea temperature is 27.4 degrees C in September.

Sea Temperature Chart

Sicily Coast (Trapani), Eastern Coast (Puglia), Western Coast (Amalfi)

Rainfall

Like most of the European countries, Italy also receives mild to moderate rains throughout the year which may vary depending upon climatic zones. Rome receives mild to moderate rain with little higher rains in autumn with drier summers, while Venice sees mild to moderate rainfall throughout the year. Palermo receives rainfall more like Rome but much higher rains during late autumn and winters.

Rome sees a bit of wet winter with the highest rainfall in December (81 mm) when it rains on an average of 8 days. Rainfall is quite moderate during spring with an exception of April. The other two months (March and May) see an average rainfall of 55 mm. Summer is the driest season in Rome with minimum rainfall during July (19.2 mm). Autumn is the wettest season in Rome with higher rainfall during the later part. November is the rainiest month in Rome receiving an average of 115.4 mm rains and it rains for about 9.7 days in the month.

Venice has the most moderate and consistent rain pattern throughout the year with a drier winter and wetter spring and autumn. On average winter receives 48 mm rains in 5 to 6 rainy days per month. Spring and autumn experience the highest rainfall with an average of 62 mm during spring and 68 mm during autumn. June receives the highest rainfall in a year (78 mm).

Due to its Mediterranean climate, Palermo is wettest during winter and late autumn while spring sees moderate rainfall, and summer is the driest season. The highest rainfall occurs in December (115.2 mm) and the lowest rainfall takes place in July (7.9 mm only). Refer to the weather chart below.

Humidity

Italy overall is a moderately humid country with Rome and Venice witnessing an average humidity of 75% throughout the year and Palermo experiencing an average of 73%.

Both Rome and Venice are very humid during winters. Rome sees the highest humidity in November (77%) and Venice sees in December and January (81%). Both Rome and Venice experience the lowest humidity of 72% and 71% respectively in July. Palermo sees the lowest humidity in July (68%) and the highest in January (74%). See the weather charts below.

Sunny Days

Rome and Palermo both are a lot brighter and sunnier in comparison to Venice. Annually Rome sees a total of 2,474 sunshine hours with a monthly average of 206 hours and a daily average of 6.8 hours. The longest Sunshine month of Rome is July (332 sunshine hours) while it receives minimum sunshine of 112 hours in December.

Venice receives yearly sunshine of 2,038 hours with a monthly average of 170 hours and a daily average of 5.6 hours only. December witnesses average sunshine of 78 hours while July sees 288 hours.

Palermo among the three cities receives the most sunshine hours in a year (2,697 hours). The monthly average is almost 225 hours while the daily average is 7.4 hours. The maximum sunshine is in July (341 hours) and the lowest sunshine in December (122 hours).

Wind Speed

Sicily and the southern part of Italy experience a typical wind storm commonly known as Sirocco during the spring season, although it never lasts for long. Otherwise, the wind speed is more or less steady throughout the year.

Rome sees a steady wind speed of 9 KPH during late autumn and the entire winter. During spring and summer, the wind is a bit gusty with a speed of 16 KPH on average. The wind speed trend is the opposite in Venice. Late autumn and winter see rather gusty wind speed of 13 KPH on average while spring and summer witness an average wind speed of 8 to 9 KPH.

Palermo experiences an average wind speed of 13 KPH during winter and spring, and 11 KPH during summer and early autumn. June sees the highest wind speed of 17 KPH while October and November experience a wind speed of 9 KPH. (See weather charts).

Snowfall

Though Palermo sees occasional hailstorms, normally there is no snowfall in the city. Snowfall in Rome is not unheard of but can take place in a scattered manner. Venice receives occasional snowfall. Due to the Alps and few other elevated places, snowfall in Italy is not uncommon. Bolzano in Italy receives a fair amount of snowfall during winter and its intensity grows with a wind blowing from south to north.

Rome Weather Chart

Venice Weather Chart

Palermo Weather Chart

Best Time to Visit Italy

The best time to visit Italy is during late spring and early autumn because summer is quite hot and dry while late autumn and winter are damp and cold. Also the tourist rush peaks in summer pushing the hotel rates higher. If you are planning a short trip to Venice, you can plan any time of the year but take into account the summer rush.

Travel Tips

If you visit during summer, check if your hotel has proper air-conditioning. Dress accordingly to beat the heat but do wear decent clothes while visiting a church. Carry an umbrella or raincoat in your luggage. Always travel light especially if you are commuting by public transports.

Let’s take a quick look at some weather highlights for Rome, Venice and Palermo.

Rome

• April May and September are best with pleasant average temperatures
• August is the hottest month
• January is the coolest month
• November is the dampest month
• July is the driest month.

Venice

• Spring to autumn is the best time and usually has pleasant weather
• July is the hottest month while January is the coolest
• June is the dampest month and February is the driest.

Palermo

• Spring and autumn are the best time while summer is relatively hotter
• During August sea temperature and atmospheric temperature, both are at their highest
• The driest month is July
• December is the wettest month

Also Read

• About tourism in Italy