Weather and climate in La Spezia (Liguria)

The climate of La Spezia is Mediterranean, with mild, rainy winters and warm, sunny summers.
The rains are abundant, in fact they amount to 1,300 millimeters (51 inches) a year. The rainiest period is from October to December.
The city is located on the eastern coast of Liguria, near the border with Tuscany, in the gulf of the same name, or Golfo dei Poeti.
To the south of the gulf is Portovenere, and nearby, the island Palmaria, while on the other side is Lerici.
Around the city are hills. On the west coast, we find the Cinque Terre ("Five Lands"). To the east, we find the Magra valley with the city of Sarzana.

Winter, from December to February, is mild, with sunny periods but also periods of bad weather.
Snow in La Spezia is rare, however, during the most intense cold spells, snow can occasionally occur. For example, snow with accumulation occurred in February 1956, January 1985, February 1991, December 2005, January 2006, December 2009, December 2010, February 2012, February 2013 and early March 2018.
Typically, the temperature drops slightly below freezing on the coldest nights, however, in January 1985 it reached -7 °C (19.5 °F).



Summer, from June to August, is warm to hot and sunny.
Some weather disturbances may pass over the city even in summer, especially in June and in late August, while on sunny days, some thunderstorms may reach the coast after forming in the interior.
Generally, the heat is not excessive because of the sea breeze, but we cannot exclude some particularly sultry periods, with highs of 32/33 °C (90/91 °F). In July 2022, the temperature reached 36.7 °C (98 °F).

Best Time

The best times to visit La Spezia are spring and early summer, in particular, from mid-April to mid-June. September, too, is a good month, especially in the first half, while later, Atlantic depressions become more frequent.
In the height of summer, in July and August, it can be hot, although less frequently than in other parts of Italy.
For a beach holiday, the best months are exactly July and August.

La Spezia - Climate data

The average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 8.9 °C (48.0 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 24.9 °C (76.7 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Precipitation amounts to 1130 millimeters (44.5 inches) per year: it is therefore quite abundant. It ranges from 35 mm (1.4 in) in the driest month (July) to 150 mm (5.9 in) in the wettest one (November). Here is the average precipitation.
The sea temperature ranges from 13 °C (55 °F) in February to 25 °C (77 °F) in August. Here are the average sea temperatures.