Climate: scorching summers in the basin, damp winters
An Arno basin with summers among the hottest in Italy and muggy nights, cool, damp winters with fog on the plain. PM10 exceeds the daily limit more often than in coastal cities, mainly in winter. Forecasts by the LaMMA consortium, monitoring by ARPAT, municipal heat alerts.
Sections: Seasons · Rainfall · Temperatures · Air quality · Environmental hazards
Seasons and heat
The hills enclosing Florence block the wind: in summer the basin stores heat and maximum temperatures regularly exceed 35 degrees for days, with nights above 20 degrees in the stone centre; the heat waves of July and August are the main health risk and the municipality activates plans for the elderly, drinking fountains and reduced hours for outdoor work. Those who can leave the city in August. Winter is cool rather than cold, with fog on the plain towards Prato and Sesto and occasional frosts; snow is rare. Spring and autumn are mild and rainy, with autumn the wettest season.
Forecasts and air quality
The LaMMA consortium (Tuscany Region and CNR) publishes regional forecasts and bulletins; heat alerts follow the national colour-coded system of the Ministry of Health, which often marks Florence at the highest level in midsummer. ARPAT measures air quality: the basin and traffic mean that days exceeding the PM10 limit are more numerous than in coastal cities, concentrated in the cold months, with municipal measures on the most polluting vehicles and on biomass burning when forecasts require them.
Hazards
The Arno flood of 4 November 1966 is part of the city's identity: works upstream have since reduced the risk, but regional civil protection alerts for intense rain remain frequent in autumn and the municipality publishes plans by district. The centre is also exposed to local flooding from summer storms.
Missing: temp_jan_avg, temp_jul_avg, rain_days_year, air_pm10_days_over_limit
Sources
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Updated: 2026-10-14
Reviewed: 10/20/2026 · by piero.avolio · rev. 1 · Period: → 2027-10-31
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