Average weather, temperature, rainfall, sunshine hours
The climate of Prato can be described as
transitional Mediterranean, since it has relatively mild winters and hot, sunny summers.
The city is located in northern Tuscany, about 15 km (9 mi) northwest of Florence. We are in the central part of 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.
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 Prato is quite rare. 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 January 1985 and February 1991, 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 January 1985, it dropped to -14 °C (7 °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 Prato 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.
Prato - Climate data
In Prato, the
average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 6.8 °C (44.3 °F), that of the warmest month (August) is of 25.8 °C (78.5 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Prato - Average temperatures (1991-2020) Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
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January | 3.1 | 10.6 | 6.8 | 38 | 51 | 44.3 |
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February | 3.3 | 12.2 | 7.8 | 38 | 54 | 46 |
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March | 6.1 | 16 | 11 | 43 | 61 | 51.9 |
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April | 9 | 19.8 | 14.4 | 48 | 68 | 57.9 |
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May | 13.1 | 24.5 | 18.8 | 56 | 76 | 65.8 |
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June | 17 | 29 | 23 | 63 | 84 | 73.4 |
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July | 19.4 | 32 | 25.7 | 67 | 90 | 78.3 |
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August | 19.5 | 32.2 | 25.8 | 67 | 90 | 78.5 |
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September | 15.7 | 26.7 | 21.2 | 60 | 80 | 70.2 |
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October | 12 | 21.1 | 16.6 | 54 | 70 | 61.8 |
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November | 7.7 | 15.1 | 11.4 | 46 | 59 | 52.5 |
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December | 3.8 | 11 | 7.4 | 39 | 52 | 45.3 |
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Year | 10.9 | 20.9 | 15.85 | 51.5 | 69.6 | 60.5 |
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Precipitation amounts to 935 millimeters (36.8 inches) per year: so, it is at an intermediate level. It ranges from 30 mm (1.2 in) in the driest month (July) to 135 mm (5.3 in) in the wettest one (November). Here is the average precipitation.
Prato - Average precipitationMonth | Millimeters | Inches | Days |
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January | 75 | 3 | 8 |
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February | 80 | 3.1 | 8 |
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March | 75 | 3 | 7 |
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April | 70 | 2.8 | 8 |
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May | 70 | 2.8 | 8 |
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June | 50 | 2 | 5 |
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July | 30 | 1.2 | 3 |
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August | 45 | 1.8 | 4 |
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September | 85 | 3.3 | 7 |
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October | 125 | 4.9 | 9 |
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November | 135 | 5.3 | 11 |
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December | 105 | 4.1 | 10 |
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Year | 935 | 36.8 | 89 |
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There are on average around 2330
sunshine hours per year. Here are the average hours of sunshine per day.
Prato - Sunshine hoursMonth | Average | Total |
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January | 3.5 | 110 | February | 4.5 | 120 | March | 5.5 | 165 | April | 6.5 | 195 | May | 8 | 245 | June | 9 | 275 | July | 10.5 | 320 | August | 9.5 | 290 | September | 7.5 | 225 | October | 5.5 | 175 | November | 3.5 | 110 | December | 3 | 100 | Year | 6.4 | 2330 |