Weather and climate in Varese (Lombardy)

In Varese, 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.
The city is located in Lombardy, at 380 meters (1,245 feet) of altitidine, and about 45 km (28 mi) north-west of Milan. About 20 km (28 mi) to the southwest is Malpensa airport.
In the area there are several lakes: near the city there is Lake Varese, to the south-west the lakes of Monate and Comabbio, and more to the west lake Maggiore, while in the north-east there is Lake Lugano. To the north are the Lugano Prealps, with the Campo dei Fiori Regional Park.
Due to local conditions (proximity of lakes and the Prealps, altitude), the climate is cooler in summer, compared to Milan and the Po Valley. In addition, the rains are abundant, to the point that Varese is one of the rainiest cities in Italy.
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).



Winter, from December to February, is cold, as the mitigating influence of the lake is compensated by the altitude. At night, the temperature quite often drops below freezing, although usually only by a few degrees. However, fog is rare here.
Snow in Varese is more abundant than in the other provincial capitals of Lombardy, both due to its western position (therefore more distant from the Adriatic Sea) and to the altitude. On average, almost 50 cm (20 in) of snow fall per year. In the exceptional snowfall of January 1985, the snow reached a meter and 20 cm (47 in) in height.
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 -12 °C (10.5 °F) in February 2012.

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. 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 38 °C (100.5 °F).

The amount of sunshine in Varese 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 Varese 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.

Varese - Climate data

The average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 3.4 °C (38.1 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 22.8 °C (73.1 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Precipitation amounts to 1505 millimeters (59.3 inches) per year: it is therefore abundant. It ranges from 70 mm (2.8 in) in the driest months (January, February) to 195 mm (7.7 in) in the wettest one (November). Here is the average precipitation.