All Italy experiences occasionally high temperatures in summer and even in autumn when the wind called Sirocco blows. This is a humid and warm wind, which originates in North Africa and becomes humid when it crosses the Mediterranean. Often in autumn a spell of sirocco weather ends with thunderstorms and heavy winds. The sea is an important factor in the climate of Italy making it mild and warm and with water temperatures suitable for bathing from mid-May to October.
 
Alpine Italy
The climate of the Italian Alps is very similar to the Austrian and to the Swiss Alps. However, precipitation is heavier on the Italian side. In summer and in winter the low-lying slopes and valleys of the Italian Alps are a little warmer. Summer is the rainiest of seasons and thunderstorms are frequent in spring, summer and autumn. The regions around lakes Maggiore, Como and Garda have the mildest winter and the warmest and sunniest summers. Sunshine is on average from three to four hours a day in winter, while in summer it is nine hours. Sometimes a foehn wind blows from the north, which causes   temperatures to be higher and the humidity lower.

The Po Valley and North Italian Plain
This region is flat and low-lying and densely populated with great agricultural productivity. It stretches from Turin to Venice and reaches as far as the port of Trieste. It has a distinct climate with rain evenly distributed all over the year. Summers are hot and sunny like those in southern Italy. Winters are remarkably cold lasting for about three months. Frost, fog and snow are frequent and the region is colder than Paris and London in midwinter. Summers and autumns often have rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms. Hours of sunshine are from two to three in winter to nine in summer. In winter the small district near Trieste is sometimes affected by strong and gusty winds, called the bora, which bring a spell of cold air from the central part of Europe.

Peninsular Italy and the Islands
The long Italian peninsula stretches from Genoa and Rimini in the north to Reggio di Calabria and Brindisi in the south and has a mountainous interior where the Apennines rise over 1800 meters. Thus the climate of the areas along the coast is quite different from the one of the interior and more particular in winter. Highly elevated areas are wet, cold and often snowy. The areas along the coast where large towns are located enjoy a typical Mediterranean climate with mild winters and hot and dry summers. The intensity and length of the dry summer season increases the more one moves further south.