In Lecco, 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 Lecco is a bit milder and rainier than in the Po Valley.
The city is located in northern Italy, in the Lombardy region, at almost 46 degrees north latitude, on the eastern branch of Lake Como, and 215 meters (705 feet) above sea level. Milan is located about 40 km (25 mi) to the southwest. To the west are the Como Pre-Alps, while to the north and east are the Bergamo Pre-Alps, with the southern Grigna and Resegone mountains.
Precipitation is abundant, especially from May to August, due to afternoon thunderstorms, and in October and November, due to the autumn rains.
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).
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. Also, fog is very rare here.
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. On average, 25 cm (10 in) of snow fall per year.
Typically, the snow depth reaches 30-35 cm (12-13.5 in) during the heaviest snowfalls, although in the exceptional snowfall of January 1985, the snow exceeded a meter (40 in) in height.
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 -9 °C (16 °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 2003, the temperature reached 39 °C (102 °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 Lecco 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, 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.
Best Time
The
best times to visit Lecco 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.
Lecco - Climate data
The
average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 4.5 °C (40.1 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 24.3 °C (75.8 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Lecco - Average temperatures (2004-2017) Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
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January | 0.6 | 8.3 | 4.5 | 33 | 47 | 40.1 |
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February | 1.4 | 9.7 | 5.6 | 34 | 50 | 42 |
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March | 4.8 | 14.7 | 9.8 | 41 | 58 | 49.6 |
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April | 8.8 | 19 | 13.9 | 48 | 66 | 57 |
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May | 12.2 | 23 | 17.6 | 54 | 73 | 63.7 |
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June | 16.4 | 27.6 | 22 | 62 | 82 | 71.6 |
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July | 18.4 | 30.2 | 24.3 | 65 | 86 | 75.8 |
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August | 18 | 29.3 | 23.6 | 64 | 85 | 74.6 |
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September | 14.6 | 24.6 | 19.6 | 58 | 76 | 67.3 |
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October | 10.5 | 18.8 | 14.6 | 51 | 66 | 58.3 |
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November | 5.6 | 12.9 | 9.2 | 42 | 55 | 48.6 |
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December | 1.7 | 9.2 | 5.4 | 35 | 48 | 41.8 |
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Year | 9.5 | 19 | 14.2 | 49 | 66.2 | 57.5 |
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Precipitation amounts to 1360 millimeters (53.5 inches) per year: it is therefore quite abundant. It ranges from 60 mm (2.4 in) in the driest month (January) to 150 mm (5.9 in) in the wettest one (November). Here is the average precipitation.
Lecco - Average precipitationMonth | Millimeters | Inches | Days |
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January | 60 | 2.4 | 6 |
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February | 65 | 2.6 | 6 |
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March | 80 | 3.1 | 7 |
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April | 120 | 4.7 | 11 |
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May | 135 | 5.3 | 11 |
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June | 140 | 5.5 | 11 |
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July | 120 | 4.7 | 10 |
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August | 130 | 5.1 | 11 |
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September | 140 | 5.5 | 9 |
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October | 145 | 5.7 | 9 |
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November | 150 | 5.9 | 8 |
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December | 75 | 3 | 6 |
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Year | 1360 | 53.5 | 105 |
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There are on average around 1865
sunshine hours per year. Here are the average hours of sunshine per day.
Lecco - Sunshine hoursMonth | Average | Total |
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January | 3.5 | 105 | February | 4 | 105 | March | 4.5 | 145 | April | 5.5 | 165 | May | 5.5 | 170 | June | 7 | 205 | July | 8 | 245 | August | 7 | 220 | September | 5.5 | 170 | October | 4.5 | 145 | November | 3 | 90 | December | 3 | 95 | Year | 5.1 | 1865 |