Climate in Sondrio (Lombardy)

The climate of Sondrio, the main center of the Valtellina, is semi-continental, with cold winters and hot summers.
The city is located in northern Italy, in Lombardy, at an altitude of 300 metres (985 feet).
Valtellina is a valley stretched from west to east. To the north are the Western Rhaetian Alps, on the border with Switzerland, among which stands Piz Bernina, 4,050 meters (13,287 ft) high. North of Sondrio, a minor valley, the Valmalenco, stretches northwards, between Monte Disgrazia and Pizzo Scalino. To the south are the Orobie Alps, with Pizzo Coca, 3,050 meters (10,006 ft) high.



Winter, from December to February, is cold, with cold air stagnating in the valley, especially in December and January. The sky is often cloudy, sometimes fog can form, and in any case, the sun can only be seen for a few hours a day because the city is surrounded by mountains.
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. When the föhn blows, the temperature can exceed 15 °C (59 °F) even in the middle of winter. In January 2007, it reached 22 °C (71.5 °F).
Snow in Sondrio generally falls at least once every year, and sometimes can be abundant. On average, 45 cm (17.5 in) of snow fall per year (more or less like in Varese). In the exceptional snowfall of January 1985, the snow reached a meter and 20 cm (47 in) in height. Sometimes it can snow even in April and November.
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 °C (5 °F) in January 1985.

Summer, from June to August, is hot during the day, while nights are generally quite cool. In periods of good weather, the valley gets hot, and poor wind conditions make the heat unpleasant.
In these periods, temperatures can reach 35/36 °C (95/97 °F) and sometimes even more. In August 2003, the temperature reached 39.7 °C (103.5 °F).
However, because of its northern location, the city is reached with some frequency by the tail of Atlantic fronts, which can bring a bit of cloudiness and even rain, while in the afternoon or in the evening, a thunderstorm may break out. For this reason, the amount of sunshine in summer is not very high.

Best Time

To visit Sondrio, you can choose the period from mid-May to mid-June and the month of September. In July and August, the heat is generally bearable, but sometimes it can be intense.
However, it can be useful to bring a sweatshirt and a light jacket for the evening even in the height of summer.

Sondrio - Climate data

In Sondrio, the average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 2.3 °C (36.1 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 22.8 °C (73 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Precipitation amounts to 975 millimeters (38.4 inches) per year: so, it is at an intermediate level. It ranges from 45 mm (1.8 in) in the driest month (February) to 120 mm (4.7 in) in the wettest one (August). Here is the average precipitation.