Palermo climate
Palermo (Sicily, Italy) has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa). The average temperature over the year is 19 °C66 °F, and about 714 mm28 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Palermo climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1458 | 948 | 1253 | 973.8 |
| Feb | 1458 | 948 | 1153 | 863.4 |
| Mar | 1762 | 1050 | 1356 | 742.9 |
| Apr | 2068 | 1254 | 1661 | 562.2 |
| May | 2475 | 1560 | 1967 | 271.1 |
| Jun | 2983 | 2067 | 2475 | 180.7 |
| Jul | 3290 | 2373 | 2781 | 70.3 |
| Aug | 3290 | 2374 | 2882 | 130.5 |
| Sep | 2882 | 2169 | 2476 | 612.4 |
| Oct | 2476 | 1864 | 2170 | 913.6 |
| Nov | 2067 | 1457 | 1762 | 873.4 |
| Dec | 1660 | 1151 | 1356 | 953.7 |
| Year | 3290 | 948 | 1966 | 71428 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 82% | 69% | 2.1 | 9:47 |
| Feb | 80% | 67% | 3.0 | 10:43 |
| Mar | 79% | 59% | 4.3 | 11:51 |
| Apr | 76% | 53% | 5.6 | 13:08 |
| May | 71% | 44% | 6.8 | 14:13 |
| Jun | 65% | 29% | 7.5 | 14:48 |
| Jul | 60% | 16% | 7.5 | 14:34 |
| Aug | 60% | 20% | 6.6 | 13:38 |
| Sep | 69% | 45% | 4.9 | 12:22 |
| Oct | 75% | 51% | 3.6 | 11:08 |
| Nov | 79% | 62% | 2.5 | 10:03 |
| Dec | 81% | 69% | 1.9 | 9:32 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Palermo is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 32 °C90 °F and a low of 23 °C74 °F. The coldest is February, when highs average 14 °C58 °F and lows 9 °C48 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 16.3 °C29.3 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 714 mm28 in. The wettest three-month stretch is November–January, which brings 39% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: June–August. The wettest month is January (97 mm3.8 in), the driest is July (7 mm0.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 60% in July to 82% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 16%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 9 km/h (6 mph) in June to 14 km/h (9 mph) in December. Daylight lasts from about 9.5 hours in December to 14.8 hours in June.
Best time to visit Palermo
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–June and September and October: average highs of 20 °C68 °F to 29 °C83 °F with 18 mm0.7 in to 91 mm3.6 in of precipitation per month.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Palermo
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1458 to 16 °C60 °F, lows 948 to 11 °C51 °F, about 93 mm3.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1762 to 24 °C75 °F, lows 1050 to 15 °C60 °F, about 53 mm2.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2983 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 2067 to 23 °C74 °F, about 13 mm0.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 2067 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 1457 to 21 °C69 °F, about 80 mm3.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
How Palermo compares
Compared with Naples, about 314 km to the north, Palermo is on average 1.5 °C2.7 °F warmer and receives 5% less precipitation (714 mm28 in vs 755 mm30 in). The difference is largest in December (3.1 °C5.5 °F warmer).
Of the 37 places in Italy covered by World Climates, Palermo is the 4th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 28th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Italy climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Tunis (Tunisia, Csa), Skikda (Algeria, Csa) and Annaba (Algeria, Csa).
Nearby places
- Catania 165 km · 19 °C67 °F · 547 mm22 in
- Messina 192 km · 20 °C67 °F · 666 mm26 in
- Siracusa 205 km · 19 °C67 °F · 539 mm21 in
- Valletta 267 km · 20 °C67 °F · 588 mm23 in
- Hammamet 309 km · 19 °C67 °F · 460 mm18 in
- Salerno 310 km · 18 °C64 °F · 730 mm29 in
- Naples 314 km · 17 °C63 °F · 755 mm30 in
- Tunis 317 km · 19 °C66 °F · 561 mm22 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Palermo?
August is the warmest month in Palermo, with an average high of 32 °C (90 °F) and an average low of 23 °C (74 °F).
What is the coldest month in Palermo?
February is the coldest month, with an average high of 14 °C (58 °F) and an average low of 9 °C (48 °F).
When does it rain the most in Palermo?
January is the wettest month with about 97 mm (3.8 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 7 mm (0.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Palermo?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April–June and September and October.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 222 m, while Palermo lies at about 14 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.3 °C2.4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.