Climate in Como (Lombardy)

In Como, located at 200 meters (650 feet) above sea level in northern Italy, there is a humid temperate climate. Winters are with relatively cold and damp. Summers are warm to hot, and are characterized by a good amount of sunshine, but also by quite frequent thunderstorms. Because of the influence of the lake, the climate of Como is a bit milder and rainier than in the Po Valley. The same applies for the other towns along the shores of the lake such as Cernobbio and Bellagio.
In the cold half of the year, the wind is generally weak or absent, except when the föhn blows, a warm, dry wind that comes down from the Alps and is able to bring clear skies and very good visibility. In the warm half of the year, in the area of Lake Como, the wind is weak or moderate and follows the breeze regime (which is more intense in late spring than in midsummer): during the warmest hours, the breeze blows from the plains towards the mountains (the "Breva", generally from the south), while after sunset and at night, the breeze blows from the mountains to the plain (the "Tivano", generally from the north).
The average temperature ranges from 4 °C (39 °F) in January to 23.8 °C (75 °F) in July. Here are the average temperatures.

Rainfall is rather abundant, and amounts to 1,300 millimeters (51 inches) per year, in fact, Como is one of the rainiest cities in Italy. Winter is the (relatively) driest season. In spring and autumn, Atlantic depressions pass more frequently over the area, so the rains are abundant, also because in these cases, the southern currents condense when they are forced to climb the Alpine foothills. On the other hand, in late spring and summer, thunderstorms in the afternoon or in the evening are quite frequent (and sometimes intense). During the most intense waves of bad weather, which occur in autumn (but sometimes also in spring), the lake may overflow, flooding the lowest areas of the city.
Here is the average precipitation.

Winter, from December to February, is pretty cold, but it's not as cold as the Po valley because of the mitigating influence of the lake. Fog is less frequent as well.
Winter is the least rainy season, however, some rainy days can occur even this period.
Snow generally falls at least once every year, and sometimes can be abundant, but it tends to melt soon enough, because it occurs with the south wind.
Typically, the snow depth reaches 30-35 cm (12-13.5 in) during the heaviest snowfalls, although in the exceptional snowfall of January 1985, snow depth reached 1 meter 10 cm (43.3 in).
We can not exclude very cold periods, with night frosts, and temperatures around 0 °C (32 °F) or below even during the day. In February 2012, the temperature dropped to -10 °C (14 °F).

Summer, from June to August, is warm to hot, and often sunny in the morning. The heat is less intense than in the Po Valley, in addition, there is a little more wind because of the lake breeze. Sometimes, an Atlantic front, able to bring some cool and rainy days, can affect this area; more often, thunderstorms can break out in the afternoon and evening.
However, we can not exclude some particularly hot days, with highs around 35 °C (95 °F). In August 2017, the temperature reached 37 °C (98.5 °F).
During summer, the temperature of Lake Como reaches 17/19 °C (63/66 °F), except in periods of intense heat, when it can become warmer; in addition, it varies depending on the proximity of the rivers and streams that feed it; it is typically slightly higher in the western branch than in the eastern one (Lake Lecco) because in the latter the waters flow more quickly (since there is an emissary, the Adda River, from which the waters flow out).



The amount of sunshine in Como is not very high in winter, also due to the short days. In the other seasons, the sun does not shine so frequently, at least compared to other parts of Italy, in fact, as mentioned, Atlantic disturbances pass quite frequently in spring and autumn, while in summer, in periods of good weather, cloudiness in the afternoon can form, which can lead to thunderstorms. In July, the sunniest month, there are only 7.6 hours of sunshine per day on average (compared, for example, to 9 hours in Milan and 9.5 hours in Bologna).
On average, there are only 1,800 hours of sunshine per year: we are at the lowest levels of the Italian plains. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

In the mountainous areas around the lake, the climate gets colder with altitude, as you can see from the average temperatures of Mount Bisbino, at 1,300 meters (4,250 feet) above sea level. In winter, heavy snowfalls can occur, while in summer, there is frequent cloudiness in the afternoon, which often leads to thunderstorms.

Best Time

The best times to visit Como are spring and early summer, in particular, from mid-April to mid-June. September is also a good month. However, you have to take into account some rainy days in both periods.
In summer, temperatures can be hot, although many days are acceptable, especially in June. You must take into account, in summer and in May, afternoon or evening thunderstorms.