Florence weather

Florence weather averages and climate information

The city of Florence is famed for its rich cultural history, architecture and food. Thanks to its Mediterranean climate Florence experiences hot summers, but the winter months are cold and wet.

Average daily max (°C)

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
11.0	12.4	16.2	19.6	25.0	29.2	32.0	32.2	26.7	21.7	15.5	11.0	21.1

Average relative humidity (%)

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
73	68	66	67	65	62	59	60	65	72	76	75	67

Average rainfall (mm)

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
57	52	49	74	66	52	22	35	77	87	118	91	780

Average daily sunshine (hrs)

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
4	4	5	7	9	10	11	11	8	6	4	3	7

Average wind speed (mph)

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
3.8	4.5	5.2	5.0	4.8	5.1	5.4	5.0	4.7	3.9	3.7	4.0	4.6

Average total days of snow falling

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
0.5	0.6	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.8	2.1

When is the best time to visit Florence?

While the summer promises heat and sunshine, it also is extremely busy, so to avoid both the heat intensity and the large crowds, autumn or late spring is a good recommendation with temperatures slightly cooler but still plenty of sunshine to enjoy.

Spring

If you are visiting Florence in the spring and you want to avoid the rain, April may not be the ideal month as you can expect an average monthly rainfall of 76 mm. However, by the end of May, as temperatures soar to the mid-20s, the anticipated rainfall is much less and you can enjoy around 9 hours of daily sunshine.

If you are visiting Florence in March, whilst the likelihood of rain is less than in April, you compromise on the average hours of daily sunshine, which stands at around 5 hours. The weather in Florence in the spring is comfortably warm – but you might want to take an umbrella and a sweater for the evenings.

Summer

If you are visiting Florence in the summer then prepare yourself for hot, dry weather. By June, the temperatures have risen to 29 °C and then soar to the mid-30s at the height of summer.

July and August have the least rainfall of all the months, with an average of 28.5mm. Visitors can enjoy 11 hours of daily sunshine in July and August and the humidity is also at its lowest.

Autumn

Autumn in Florence is cooler; visitors can still enjoy temperatures of around 19 - 24 °C in September and October, but this drops to highs of 12 °C and lows of 8 °C by November.

Expect around 76% humidity in October and November, when the average rainfall also rises to around 118 mm.

Winter

A winter in Florence consists of temperatures of around 10 - 12 °C. The late autumn sees the most rainfall, but by January this drops to around 57 mm.

December anticipates a high rainfall of just under 100 mm, but not quite as much as November.  The average hours of sunshine in Florence in the winter can drop to as low as 3 hours in December.

Florence tourist information

The history of Florence can be traced back to Roman times in the year 59 BC, during the reign of Julius Caesar. Florence was later established as a significant centre of trade, around the third century A.D.

Industry has been the key to Florence's success, particularly with the manufacturing of clothing. Gucci have been producing their high end clothes in the city since 1921, and other major Italian fashion houses are also based here. The manufacture of machinery and pharmaceuticals is also significant, along with food and wine. Chianti, a red wine, has been produced just south of Florence since the 14th century and is distributed all over the world.

One of Florence's most famous is its Cathedral featuring Brunelleschi's dome. Elsewhere Piazza Della Signoria hosts open air sculpture exhibitions and the Boboli Gardens and Pitti Palace feature a series of picturesque gardens and fountains. Crossing the Arno River in the centre of the city is the Ponte Vecchio bridge, home to traders for centuries.

Florence is home to several festivals throughout the year. The Carnevale in February consists of a parade of floats moving through the city while The Florence Dance Festival also happens every summer with various concerts taking place.

Sport also plays a part in Florence. The Stadio Artemio Franchi is home to ACF Fiorentina Football Club. Here they have also hosted international Rugby Union matches. It is not just sport that has been played here; various famous singers such as Madonna, David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen have held concerts in the stadium too.

Famous people from the city consist of artists Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti, fashion designer Roberto Cavalli and of course Florence Nightingale who was named after her city of birth.

Florence has hot, humid summers with average maximum temperatures peaking at 32 °C in July and August. During the winter months temperatures are cooler and the wettest month tends to be November with an average of 118mm rainfall.