Today's weather for Sicily, Italy26th Jul 2008 09:00

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Weather Overview for Sicily

Sicily is a beautiful and agriculturally rich island that lies off the west coast of Italy. Once a kingdom in its own right, Sicily is now the largest region in Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea taking up 25 708 square kilometers and home to 5 million people.

Though it is one of the regions of Italy, Sicily’s long and unique history has lead to it developing a culture of its very own- with architecture, food, music and even language that is distinctly Sicilian.

The island has varied terrain as you move across it, with a combination of volcanic and non volcanic mountain ranges in various spots across the island. In the East of Sicily you will find Mount Etna, which is the only volcano on the island and is in fact the tallest active volcano in all of Europe- at 10, 900 feet it is also one of the largest active volcano’s in the world. In the west, south east and north of the island there are non volcanic mountain ranges which have an affect on the weather conditions for towns that lie either in the rain shadow of the ranges or at higher altitudes.

It is the presence of these mountain ranges that results in the weather of Sicily varying quite dramatically across the island. At higher altitudes there is greater rain fall and more sever temperature extremes, however as you reach the low lands and the coastal regions the climate is a fairly typical Mediterranean climate- characterized by long hot summers and cooler, drier more mild winters.

Sicily is famed for its short winters- winter conditions really only prevail from December to February. In this time the average temperature is 12, 10 and 11 degrees in December, January and February respectively. Daily highs will reach 15 degrees, on average, while the minimums fall to about 9 degrees. Winter is the wettest time of the year by far- recording between 40 and 60 mm of rainfall per month across the season, with December being the wettest month of the year.

The best time to visit the island would be the shoulder seasons of Spring and Autumn- this is because the temperatures are pleasant and haven’t quite reached the extreme highs that summer often brings when the mercury rises well and truly over 30 degrees.

May will see the island withdaily highs of 22 degrees, the water temperature is a pleasant 17 degrees, rainfall is minimal and this is just prior to the peak tourist season so you can still find cheaper accommodation and the streets and cafes will not be rammed full of tourists. The same could be said for September, when the average high is a warmer 26 degrees and the water temperature is an idyllic 24 degrees. Rainfall has begun to pick up slightly in September but sometimes the showers can actually come as a cooling relief.

If you are to visit in the summer months, best plan your trip in July and August can see very hot temperatures in addition to the fact that many of the locals close their business’s as they them selves head to the beaches and take their summer holidays. August brings days on end over 30 degrees and the hot, oppressive “Scirocco” wind blows from Africa. Humidity is relatively low across the year in Sicily, though it is at its highest in August.

See here for average highs and lows across the year.

The southern and western coasts of the island will be the warmest as these are the areas that are the closest to Africa, so along with the Scirocco comes higher temperatures are more unpleasant conditions- particularly in the height of summer.

The conditions in Sicily are enjoyable for much of the year, so whatever time you choose to visit you won’t be disappointed (unless you have a particular aversion to rain, the its suggested you avoid December) In saying this, rainfall in Sicily is considerably lower than other parts of Italy and northern Europe.

Whatever time of the year you visit you will be able to take in the rich culture, stroll the abundance of lemon and orange orchids, eat traditional Sicilian cuisine and take in the historic architecture.

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