Climate in Sicily
SUMMER FROM MAY TO OCTOBER
THE REST OF THE YEAR ALWAYS SPRING
The weather in Sicily is excellent compared to most European destinations. Especially the southeast has an incredibly mild climate and little rain. Nevertheless, we would like to point out that there are seasons in Sicily too. It is always amusing to see Sicilian women in fur coats in November at 25 degrees and northern European tourists in shorts and sandals in March at 14 degrees. There are glorious days in winter when you can sit outside in a T-shirt; on 5 January 2016, for example, we were by the sea in Catania at 27 degrees, but on New Year’s Eve 2014/15, at exactly midnight, it snowed in Noto for the first time in seventy years. In January and February, the average daytime temperature is 16 degrees. There is no really dreary winter season like in Germany, because the olive, carob, lemon and orange trees are all evergreen. Even the almond trees, which lose their leaves in December, begin to blossom again in January/February. Mallorca does clever marketing with the almond blossom; the region of Noto and Avola is full of almond groves that blossom even more beautifully, but this is not mentioned here, let alone marketed to tourists.
MAY
May is perhaps the best time to hike or explore cities and sights – especially for those who don’t like heat above 30 degrees. The average high temperature is around 25 degrees, but we have also experienced several days with temperatures around 30 degrees.
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June changes Sicily quite drastically and the landscape approaches the image one usually has of Sicily. The grass turns brown, there is hardly any rain, the heat shimmers and high summer begins. The nice thing about June is that the high season in Sicily doesn’t start until mid-July and even then it’s pretty slow. This means that, apart from the weekend, the beaches are still relatively empty, but the evenings are already so warm that you can sit outside in a T-shirt until late at night. Temperatures rise to 28 degrees on average.
In July and August, most Sicilians live in their cottage by the sea. Temperatures average 32 degrees and everything revolves around the sea and swimming. However, it only gets really crowded in the two central weeks of August around Ferragosto on 15 August, as Italy has made the unofficial agreement to stop business for these two weeks and all Italians are forced to go on holiday then.
In July and August, most Sicilians live in their cottage by the sea. Temperatures average 32 degrees and everything revolves around the sea and swimming. But it only gets really crowded in the two central weeks of August around Ferragosto on 15 August, because Italy has made the unofficial agreement to stop business for these two weeks and all Italians are forced to go on holiday then.
September is a wonderful time, most tourists have left, the heat is bearable after the first summer thunderstorms, but the summer feeling remains. The temperatures are around 29 degrees. The olive harvest begins at the end of September.
October is the Germans’ favourite month. Now the luxury of the autumn holidays extends the summer. Temperatures still average 25 degrees and the sea is still wonderfully warm. However, it can rain heavily in October. The rain in Sicily is different from that in Central Europe. It pours down like rain, with the advantage that the weather is nice again soon after the rain.
November is often still late summer, but the chance of rain is relatively high, as in October. The sea temperatures are still 20 degrees, so bathing is still possible.
December is quite mild with many sunny days. At Christmas, many towns are atmospherically decorated, but even though we have become accustomed to Christmas without snow in Central Europe, palm trees and olive trees are not really suitable for Christmas decorations.