Climate and natural hazards

Sicily has Italy's warmest climate: long, dry summers from May to October, with peaks over 40 °C when the Scirocco blows, also bringing Saharan dust; at Floridia (Syracuse) in August 2021 the highest temperature ever measured in Europe was recorded, according to the World Meteorological Organization. The coasts have mild winters; the hilly interior (Enna at almost 1,000 m, Caltanissetta) is colder and windier; the Nebrodi, Madonie and Etna have winter snow, with ski lifts on Etna (Nicolosi, Piano Provenzana) and at Piano Battaglia. The climate data in this entry refer to the regional capital.

Water and fires

Rainfall is scarce and irregular and the water network loses a high share of the water fed in. In 2023–2024 drought emptied the reservoirs: on 6 May 2024 the Council of Ministers declared a national state of emergency for water deficit in Sicily, with rota rationing in the provinces of Agrigento, Caltanissetta, Enna and Palermo, water tankers for about a hundred municipalities and the restart of the Porto Empedocle and Trapani desalination plants; inland farming and livestock suffered heavy losses. Summer fires are recurrent: in July 2023 fires around Palermo closed the airport and burned the mountains next to the city. Anyone settling inland should plan for water tanks and summer supply cuts.

Volcanoes and earthquakes

Etna is Europe's highest active volcano and produces frequent eruptions with lava flows, lava fountains and ash clouds that temporarily close Catania airport and cover the villages on its slopes; INGV-Osservatorio Etneo monitors it and Civil Protection maintains an alert level (yellow in ordinary phases) and access rules for the summit area. Stromboli has continuous explosive activity with paroxysmal phases (2019, 2024); Vulcano had a gas emission crisis in 2021–2022. The east coast (Messina, Catania, Syracuse, Ragusa) and the Belice are in seismic zones 1–2: the earthquakes of 1693 (Val di Noto), 1908 (Messina, with tsunami) and 1968 (Belice, Gibellina) are among the worst in Italian history; on 26 December 2018 a magnitude 4.9 shock on Etna's flank damaged Fleri and Zafferana. Western Sicily is in zones 2–3.