Map from Google - Florence

The climate of Florence, capital of the Italian region of Tuscany, is generally mild, and can be defined as transitional Mediterranean, with relatively mild winters, and hot and sunny summers. The city is located in central Italy, on the Tyrrhenian side, but it is also located in a valley and at some distance from the sea, so the climate is slightly more continental than in coastal areas.
Here are the average temperatures.
Average temperatures - Florence
Min (°C)225712151818141053
Max (°C)111316192428313227211511
Min (°F)363641455459646457504137
Max (°F)525561667582889081705952

The rainfall pattern deviates slightly from the Mediterranean one, since there's a minimum in summer, when, however, there can be some rains, maybe in the form of downpour or thunderstorm, and besides in spring the rains slightly increase compared with winter. Autumn is the wettest season. In an average year, about 870 millimetres (34 inches) of rain fall.
Here is the average precipitation.
Average precipitation - Florence
Prec. (mm)60656585705535558010511580870
Prec. (in)

The amount of sunshine in Florence is very good in summer, from June to August, while from November to March the sun is not very frequent, given the frequent passage of weather disturbances, although some sunny days are always possible.
Sunshine - Florence
Sun (hours)455781011107633

Winter, from December to February, is quite mild: the average temperature in January is about 6.5 °C (43.5 °F). However, it can be more or less cold, depending on weather situation: on sunny days, at night the temperature often approaches freezing (0 °C or 32 °F), and there can be some morning fogs, while in other situations the north wind, called "Tramontana", can bring some cold and windy days, and some frosts at night. Every now and then, it can even snow. During intense cold spells, the minimum temperature can drop to -5/-10 °C (5/14 °F).
On the contrary, when the southern currents prevail, the weather becomes milder, though cloudy and often rainy: in these cases, the temperature can reach or exceed 15 °C (59 °F) also in winter.

Snow in Florence

Spring, from March to May, is mild and gradually more sunny, but it is also quite rainy. The month of March and the first half of April are unstable periods, in which mild and sunny days alternate with rainy and cold days, still quite wintery. From the second half of April, and especially from May, the temperature becomes pleasant in a more constant way, but some rainy periods are still possible.

Summer, from June to August, is hot and sunny. Every now and then, some afternoon thunderstorms may occur, and more rarely even some cool and rainy days, especially in June and in the second half of August. When the weather is fine (and this happens very often), daytime temperatures are high, given the distance from the sea and the location in a valley: in fact Florence is often one of the hottest cities in Italy. Every year there are days with maximum temperatures around 36/38 °C (97/100 °F), but sometimes they can reach as high as 40 °C (104 °F). Fortunately, the humidity is not very high, and at night the temperature becomes almost always acceptable.

Autumn, from September to November, is initially warm and pleasant, dry and bright, but it quickly becomes quite rainy, and in fact it is the wettest season, especially in October and November. Sometimes the rains are abundant.


When to go

The best times to visit Florence are from mid-April to mid-June, and the month of September: there will be many fine days, with a pleasantly warm weather, and cool evenings. There will be, however, also some rainy days. Those who can stand the heat can also choose July and August. For safety, it will be useful a sweatshirt for the evening, also in midsummer.