Italy - weather in December

In December, the first winter month, the climate in Italy is moderately cold in the north, in the Po Valley (see Milan), where the climate is slightly continental, and mild and quite rainy on the coasts of Liguria and in the center-south (see Genoa, Rome, Naples, Sicily), where the climate is Mediterranean. On the Alps and on the highest peaks of the Apennines, on the other hand, there is a cold mountain climate.
Sometimes, especially in the first half of the month and in the center-south, the weather still takes on autumnal characteristics.

December is the month in which the differences between north and south are greatest. The average daily temperature is just above freezing in the subalpine valleys (see Aosta, Bolzano), 4/5 °C (39/41 °F) on the Po-Venetian plain (see Milan, Turin, Bologna, Venice), 6/7 °C (43/45 °F) in the inland valleys of the center (see Florence, Perugia), and 8/10 °C (46/50 °F) on the Ligurian coast and on the coasts of the center-south (see Rome, Naples, Bari), while it reaches 14 °C (57 °F) in the mildest areas of Sicily (see Palermo, Messina).

Precipitation is moderate and not very frequent in the north, where it normally occurs in the form of snow in the mountains, while it is quite frequent and sometimes abundant in the center-south.
The Alps are generally covered in snow and you can ski, also because there are artificial snow systems, while on the Apennines, in the center-south, sometimes there is no snow and the temperature is too high.

During periods of stable weather, in the Po Valley, and more rarely in the valleys of the center, fog can form.

During cold waves, which will be more frequent in the following months, and which in any case are becoming rarer due to global warming, it can snow on the Po Valley, in the eastern regions and on the southern Apennines, which can be affected by the cold air coming from the Balkan Peninsula. The temperature can drop to -20 °C (-4 °F) in the Alps, to -7/-8 °C (18/19 °F) in the Po Valley, slightly below freezing in the center and to around freezing in the south, while in Sicily it almost never reaches the freezing point.
The cold wind can be strong: the bora in the northeast, the tramontana on the Apennines, and the maestrale on Sardinia.

During the month, the length of the days gradually decreases until December 21, the winter solstice, which is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. In December, the average day in Italy is 8 and a half hours long in the far north and 9 and a half hours in the south.

The following tables show the climate averages in the month of December in Italy in a selection of locations.

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Monthly climate averages - December

(from north to south)

























See also: Italy, the weather in November - January
The climate of Italy