Climate and natural hazards

The coast has a temperate Adriatic climate, with hot but breezy summers and mild winters; north-easterly winds (Adriatic bora) bring episodes of intense cold in winter. Moving inland the climate becomes continental: in the basins of Camerino, Fabriano and the upper Macerata area winters are cold, with regular snowfall above 800 metres and ski slopes at Bolognola, Sarnano and Frontignano. Inland summers stay cooler than on the coast.

Seismic risk

According to the Civil Protection seismic classification, the Marche Apennines (Sibillini, upper Macerata area, inland Ascoli) are in zone 1 and most of the rest of the region in zone 2. The Central Italy seismic sequence (24 August, 26 and 30 October 2016, January 2017) hit the inland parts of the provinces of Macerata, Fermo and Ascoli Piceno hard, with dozens of municipalities in the crater and reconstruction still under way. The 1997 Umbria-Marche earthquake had already affected Fabriano, Camerino and Serravalle di Chienti. Anyone buying or renting inland should check the building's seismic class.

Floods and erosion

The valleys of the smaller rivers are prone to flash floods: the overflow of the Misa and Nevola on 15 September 2022 hit Senigallia, Ostra and Barbara, and Senigallia had already flooded in 2014. Coastal erosion affects many stretches of shoreline. Dry summers are becoming more frequent, but the region has not experienced water crises comparable to those in the South.