Climate - Milan (Italy)

In Milan, the capital of the Italian region of Lombardy, the climate is moderately continental, with cold, damp winters and hot, muggy summers.
The city is located in north-western Italy, in the Po Valley, the plain closed on three sides, with the Alps to the north and west, and the Apennines to the south.
The average temperature of January is 2.9 °C (37.2 °F), that of July is 24.6 °C (76.3 °F). Here are the average temperatures (of the 1981-2010 period).

Precipitation is quite abundant, since it amounts to 945 millimeters (37 inches) per year, and is well distributed over the seasons, though there is a relative minimum in winter and two relative maxima in spring and autumn.
In Italy, it is said that "in Milan it always rains": this is certainly an exaggeration, but in any case, it rains more often than in other areas (in particular, than in the center-south), moreover, the rain tends to last several hours in autumn and in winter, while in late spring and summer, there are frequent thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening.
Here is the average precipitation.

Winter, from December to February, is cold, damp and gray. Temperatures often remain around freezing (0 °C or 32 °F) also in the daytime, especially in December and January, and the sky remains overcast for long periods.
Typically, by the second half of February, the temperature tends to increase, and highs exceed quite often 10 °C (50 °F).
Fog, which was once very common (in the 1980s, Milan airport was the foggiest in Europe), has become quite rare within the city, where the so-called "urban heat island effect" also makes the temperature less cold, especially at night.
The wind is usually 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 good visibility (a sign of its presence, in addition to mild air, is the possibility to see the snow-capped Alps). When the föhn blows, the temperature can exceed 15 °C (59 °F) even in the middle of winter. In January 2007, it reached 20 °C (68 °F).
There is a moderate amount of rainy days, even though the winter is relatively dry when compared with the other seasons.
Snow in Milan usually falls at least once every year, and sometimes can be abundant, although it tends to melt soon enough.
In January 1985, it snowed for four days in a row, and the snow reached 70 cm (27.5 inches) in the center and 90 cm (35 in) in the hinterland. More recently, 40 cm (15.5 in) of snow fell in late January 2006, 45 cm (17.5 in) on the 2009 Epiphany, and 30 cm (12 in) in December 2009.
At the Brera observatory, the average of the thirty years 1961-1990 was 25 cm (10 in). In the city, snow accumulates with more difficulty than in the surrounding countryside and in the towns of the hinterland, especially in recent decades, when global warming is combined with the growth of the city.
Every now and then, cold air masses from Eastern Europe can bring quite intense frosts, though the temperature rarely drops below -10 °C (14 °F). However, the temperature reached -15.5 °C (4 °F) in February 1956, -14.5 °C (6 °F) in January 1963, -14 °C (7 °F) in January 1979, -14.5 °C (6 °F) in January 1985, -13 °C (8.5 °F) in February 1991, and -12 °C (10.5 °F) in February 2012.

Spring in Milan is initially unstable, and gradually becomes a pleasant season, especially from mid-April to late May, when there are many sunny days, with mild or pleasantly warm temperatures during the day. In March, the first mild days alternate with cold days; in April, it can still be quite cold, especially in the first half of the month. Atlantic depressions, which cause rainfall, are quite frequent. In May, the first afternoon thunderstorms may occur.

Summer, from June to August, is hot and muggy, and generally sunny. The heat is felt because of high humidity and low to no wind, which are conditions typical of the Po Valley, but also to the fact that in the city, the heat is trapped between buildings (because of the aforementioned "urban heat island effect").
Sometimes an Atlantic front, able to bring cool and rainy weather, can affect this area even in summer; more often, on sunny days, thunderstorms can erupt in the afternoon or evening.
During heat waves, which are becoming increasingly more frequent, the temperature can reach or exceed 35 °C (95 °F). The temperature reached 36.5 °C (97.5 °F) in June 2005 and in late June 2019, 37 °C (98.5 °F) in July 1983, in August 1998, in August 2012 and in July 2015, and 38 °C (100.5 °F) in August 2017 (record).

Autumn offers several nice days in September, and sometimes in early October, then quickly becomes cloudy and rainy. The first cold days typically occur in November. Overall, autumn is the rainiest season of the year. As mentioned, although the number of rainy days is not too high, when it rains, the rain tends to last several hours, even the whole day.



The amount of sunshine in Milan is low from mid-October to February, when sunshine is rare, and even when the sun comes out, it is often weak and veiled in mist. On the contrary, there is a moderate amount of sunshine hours in spring, while the sun is quite frequent in summer, except for the albeit rare rainy days and the more frequent afternoon thunderstorms.
On average, there are around 1,900 hours of sunshine per year. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

Best Time

The best period to visit Milan is that of spring and early summer, and in particular, from mid-April to mid-June. September, too, is a good month. However, you have to take into account some rainy days in both periods.
Summer can be hot, although some days can be acceptable, especially in June. In summer, and sometimes in May, as mentioned, sudden thunderstorms in the afternoon or evening must be put into account.