Climate Change Overview

Country Summary

This page presents high-level information for Italy's climate zones and its seasonal cycle for mean temperature and precipitation for the latest climatology, 1991-2020. Climate zone classifications are derived from the Köppen-Geiger climate classification system, which divides climates into five main climate groups divided based on seasonal precipitation and temperature patterns. The five main groups are A (tropical), B (dry), C (temperate), D (continental), and E (polar). All climates except for those in the E group are assigned a seasonal precipitation sub-group (second letter).  Climate classifications are identified by hovering your mouse over the legend. A narrative overview of Italy's country context and climate is provided following the visualizations.

Italy is located in the Southern part of Europe and includes the Italian peninsula, that from the Alps stretches into the Mediterranean Sea, and several islands including Sicily (the largest in the Mediterranean Sea) and Sardinia. The Alps mountain range is the Italian natural northern border which separates Italy from the rest of Europe. The total national area is 301,340 km2, about 40% of the total national area is mountainous. The driving sector of the national economy is the service sector. The national population is expected to reach over 60 million by 2030.

Italy is located in an area identified as particularly vulnerable to climate change. Climate observations already confirm an increase of the average temperature as well as an upward trend in extreme temperatures. Italy is prone to natural hazards and climate change is expected to increase its vulnerability to climate-related hazards over the next decades.