Italy Climate
Top 5 Cities: Rome, Milan, Naples, Turin, and Palermo
This month in numbers
April 2026 saw Italy record an average temperature of 12.4°C, an anomaly of +2.1°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. This ranked as the 7th warmest April in 86 years of records. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperature, with an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
The three-month period from February to April 2026 was also exceptionally warm for Italy, with an average temperature of 9.47°C, marking it as the 6th warmest such period on record with an anomaly of +2.1°C. Italy's April anomaly of +2.11°C placed it 104th out of 234 regions globally for the month, while the three-month anomaly of +2.15°C ranked 83rd. This warming trend for Italy is part of a broader pattern across southwestern Europe, which experienced much-warmer-than-average conditions in April, contrasting with colder-than-average temperatures in Eastern Europe.
What’s driving change?
The persistent warmth in Italy is influenced by a robust high-pressure system over western Europe, which has led to sunny and dry conditions. This is further exacerbated by the , as higher-latitude regions tend to warm faster. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with a +0.11°C anomaly in the Niño 3.4 region for February-April 2026. However, forecasts indicate a strong likelihood of an El Niño developing by May-July 2026, with an 87% probability by July-September 2026. El Niño typically brings warmer, drier conditions to the Mediterranean during summer, amplifying heatwave and wildfire risks, particularly in the Iberian Peninsula. ENSO tracker.
Italy has experienced several notable weather events recently. In late March and early April, severe storms brought heavy rainfall and flooding to central and southern regions, particularly Abruzzo, Molise, and Puglia, leading to landslides and significant disruptions to transport infrastructure. The Po River also hit a 30-year low in early April due to an unusually dry and warm winter with limited snowpack in the Alps, raising concerns about drought. Furthermore, a large wildfire broke out on Mount Faeta in Tuscany in late April, burning over 700 hectares and forcing thousands of evacuations.
Looking ahead
The evolving El Niño phase suggests a heightened risk of hotter, drier summers for Italy in the coming months.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Italy
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Italy changing?
Italy is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Italy come from?
Climate data for Italy comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Italy climate data cover?
The Italy climate profile covers Rome, Milan, Naples, Turin and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Italy
How often is the Italy climate update refreshed?
The Italy climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.