Climate in Pistoia (Tuscany)

The climate of Pistoia can be described as transitional Mediterranean, since it has relatively mild winters and hot, sunny summers.
The city is located in northern Tuscany, about 30 km (18 mi) northwest of Florence. We are in the Florence-Prato-Pistoia plain, a basin surrounded by hills. In fact, to the north we find the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, while to the south we find the small Montalbano chain, which reaches 641 meters (2,103 feet) in height. Of the three cities, Pistoia is the furthest to the north and the rainiest.

Winter, from December to February, is quite mild, however, due to the distance from the sea, it is a little colder than on the coast.
It can get more or less cold, depending on weather situation. On sunny days, the night temperature often approaches freezing (0 °C or 32 °F), and there can be some morning fogs.
On the contrary, when the southern currents prevail, the weather becomes milder, though cloudy and often rainy: in these cases, the temperature can reach or exceed 15 °C (59 °F) even in winter.
On the other hand, in other situations, the north wind, called tramontana, can bring some cold and windy days, and some frosts at night.
Snow in Pistoia is quite rare, however, it is usually a little more abundant and longer lasting than in Prato and Florence. Sometimes a short snowfall can be observed, but snowfalls with accumulation occur once every few years. During the most abundant snowfalls, such as that of early March 2005, snow depth reached 25-30 cm (10-12 in).
On the coldest nights of the year, the temperature typically drops to -5/-6 °C (21/23 °F), but during the most intense cold spells, it can drop to lower values. In February 1929 and January 1985, it dropped to -13 °C (8.5 °F).



Summer, from June to August, is hot and sunny. Every now and then, some afternoon thunderstorms may occur, and more rarely, even some cool and rainy days, especially in June and in the second half of August. When the weather is fine (and this happens very often), daytime temperatures are high because of both the distance from the sea and the location in a valley. Every year, there are days with maximum temperatures around 36/38 °C (97/100 °F), but sometimes, they can reach as high as 40 °C (104 °F). Fortunately, the humidity is not very high, and at night, the temperature becomes almost always acceptable.

Best Time

The best times to visit Pistoia are from mid-April to mid-June, and in the month of September: there are many fine days, with pleasantly warm weather and cool evenings. There will be, however, also some rainy days. Those who can stand the heat can also choose July and August. For safety, it will be useful a sweatshirt for the evening also in midsummer.

Pistoia - Climate data

In Pistoia, the average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 6.6 °C (43.8 °F), that of the warmest month (August) is of 25 °C (77 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Precipitation amounts to 1200 millimeters (47.2 inches) per year: it is therefore quite abundant. It ranges from 40 mm (1.6 in) in the driest month (July) to 180 mm (7.1 in) in the wettest one (November). Here is the average precipitation.
There are on average around 2330 sunshine hours per year. Here are the average hours of sunshine per day.