Climate - Alghero (Sardinia)

The climate of Alghero, capital of the Riviera del Corallo, is Mediterranean, with mild, relatively rainy winters and hot, sunny summers.
The city is located on the northwest coast of Sardinia, an island exposed to the Mistral, a cool, sometimes cold, and dry wind blowing from the north-west.
The average temperature of the coldest months (January, February) is of 10 °C (50 °F), that of the warmest month (August) is of 24 °C (75 °F). Here are the average temperatures.

Precipitation amounts to 570 millimeters (22.4 inches) per year. It ranges from 5 mm (0.2 in) in the driest month (July) to 80 mm (3.1 in) in the wettest ones (October, November). The rains are not abundant, however they are more abundant than in southern Sardinia, where they drop even below 450 mm (17.5 in) per year. Here is the average precipitation.

Winter, from December to February, is mild, and is characterized by sunny periods alternating with rainy periods.
On the coldest nights of the year, the temperature typically drops to -1/-2 °C (28/30 °F), but can occasionally drop to lower values. For example, it dropped to -5 °C (23 °F) in January 1981 and January 1995, and to -4 °C (25 °F) in February 2012. Snow can occasionally fall, as happened in February 1956, January 1985 and February 2012.

Summer, from June to August, is hot and sunny, with very rare rains.
Generally, the temperatures are not too high and the breeze blows, however, heatwaves of African origin can sometimes occur. The temperature reaches at least 37/38 °C (99/100 °F) almost every year, but at times it can reach or exceed 40 °C (104 °F). In late July 1983, it reached 42 °C (107.5 °F), and there were 5 days with highs of at least 40 °C (104 F). In August 2003, it reached 40 °C (104 °F), and the average of the highs for the whole month was 36 °C (97 °F). In early August 2017, it reached 42 °C (107.5 °F) again, and there were 5 days in a row with highs of at least 40 °C (104 °F).



On average, there are around 2,610 sunshine hours per year. Therefore, the amount of sunshine is good. There may be sunny periods even in winter, while in summer, the sky is normally clear. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

The sea temperature ranges between 14 °C (57 °F) and 25 °C (77 °F). The sea is warm enough for swimming from July to September. Here are the average sea temperatures.

Best Time

The best time to visit Alghero for a beach holiday is the summer, from June to August. The sea temperature is comfortable enough from July to September, although in September, which in any case is still a good month (especially in the first half), the first periods of bad weather can occur.

Back to the climate of Sardinia.