When is the best time to travel to Sicily? Where should you go on your holiday in Sicily?
Although it is the largest island in the Mediterranean, the various regions of Sicily experience the same broad climate: mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers.
Catania, on the east coast, has the most hours of sunshine of any city in Europe – an average of 2492 per year, or 6.8 hours per day. The other cities and towns of Sicily are not far behind, and this dependable (and hot!) sunshine is one of the prime attractions of the island.
Sicily is an incredibly fertile island, and one of the main reasons for this is its high levels of rainfall. The mountainous regions (in particular Etna) receive the highest levels, but the cities and coastal regions are not spared their fair share. In the summer months, when rain is but a distant memory, humidity levels rise and are felt especially strongly in the cities and towns.
In general, the coastal regions of Sicily are warmer and slightly drier than the central, inland, regions, which can experience high levels of snowfall in winter.
Monthly Forecast
January and February are cold months with lots of heavy rain, occasional snow showers on higher ground, frost, and occasional days of bright blue cloudless skies with fantastic visibility.
March and April still see a considerable amount of rain, but the chill has begun to disappear during the day and there are many brighter, sunshiny days.
May and June see the beginning of really warm weather. The days are longer, and the sea temperature is steadily rising.
July and August are the truly hot months, with regular heat-waves, hardly any rain to speak of, high humidity in the cities, and only occasional cooling breezes.
September and October see the return of the occasional rain-storm, the dissipation of humidity, more regular breezes (good for sailing), warm sunny days, and high sea-temperatures.
November and December are wet months, but cold weather doesn’t make an appearance until the middle of December. In fact, there is usually a good 10-14 day Indian Summer in November that sees people returning to the beaches and soaking up a last hit of sunshine before the winter sets in!
Average Air Temperature in Sicily in Degrees Celsius |
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Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
10 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 19 | 15 | 12 |
Average Sea Temperature in Sicily in Degrees Celsius |
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Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 22 | 19 | 16 |