The city is located in the north-east of Sicily and overlooks the strait of the same name, which separates it from Calabria. To the west are the northernmost hills belonging to the Peloritani Mountains.
Due to the location in a strait with two mountain ranges behind it, the temperatures are very mild, in particular, night lows are very high. Furthermore, the rains are quite abundant, at least compared to other Sicilian cities, since they amount to 850 millimeters (33.5 inches) a year.
, from December to February, is mild, and is characterized by sunny periods alternating with rainy periods.
Occasionally, there can be intense rains concentrated in time, which can produce floods, and this can also happen in autumn.
Sometimes, at night and in the early morning, in conditions of light flow of warm air,
can occur on the Strait of Messina. The phenomenon, called "Lupa" ("she-wolf") by locals, occurs more often between the end of winter and spring, but sometimes also in summer.
It rarely gets very cold, although there can sometimes be cold, windy, and rainy days, with highs around 7/8 °C (45/46 °F).
in Messina is rare, but due to its position in the north-east of Sicily and close to the Italian peninsula, snowfalls are slightly more frequent than in the rest of the region (at least at sea level). However, snow rarely accumulates on the ground, moreover, it occurs with temperatures above freezing and therefore tends to melt quickly. In January 1999 and at the end of December 2014, even the beach was covered with snow.
The temperature almost never drops below freezing. In March 1949 it dropped to -0.2 °C (31.6 °F).
It is true that the city is located on the coast, but it is closed between the two sides of the Strait, so there can be hot and sultry periods, especially from late July to late August, when the sea is warmer.
of African origin can sometimes occur: in these cases, it is possible for the temperature to reach or exceed 40 °C (104 °F), also due to a fohn effect of the wind coming down from the mountains. In these cases, however, at least the humidity decreases.
To visit Messina, you can choose the periods from mid-April to mid-May and from mid-September to mid-October, since in summer it can get very hot. It must be said that in both periods there may be rainy days.
are July and August. In June, the days are longer and the weather is often good, but the sea is still a bit cool. You can still go in September, in fact the sea is still quite warm, but the days get shorter and the first waves of bad weather can occur, especially in the second half of the month.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
12.4 °C, with a minimum of
10.1 °C and a maximum of
14.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
5 °C. However, it dropped to
2 °C in January 1999.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
18.5 °C. However, it reached
21.6 °C in January 1995.
Precipitation amounts to
105 mm, distributed over 11 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 55 minutes.
There are on average 3.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 37% of the time.
The average humidity is 75%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
10 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
15.1 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
February, the coldest month of the year, is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
12.4 °C, with a minimum of
9.7 °C and a maximum of
15 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
5.5 °C. However, it dropped to
1.2 °C in February 2003.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
19 °C. However, it reached
24.2 °C in February 2010.
Precipitation amounts to
100 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 50 minutes.
There are on average 4.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 42% of the time.
The average humidity is 73%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
10.6 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
14.3 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
March is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
14 °C, with a minimum of
11.2 °C and a maximum of
16.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
6.5 °C. However, it dropped to
3 °C in March 2011.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
21.5 °C. However, it reached
32 °C in March 2001.
Precipitation amounts to
85 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 5.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 46% of the time.
The average humidity is 73%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
10.9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
14.5 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cold for swimming.
April is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
16.4 °C, with a minimum of
13.3 °C and a maximum of
19.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
9.5 °C. However, it dropped to
6 °C in April 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
24.5 °C. However, it reached
29.6 °C in April 2008.
Precipitation amounts to
70 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 10 minutes.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 52% of the time.
The average humidity is 73%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
11.8 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
15.7 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
May is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
20.3 °C, with a minimum of
17 °C and a maximum of
23.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
13 °C. However, it dropped to
11 °C in May 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
28.5 °C. However, it reached
33.6 °C in May 2006.
Precipitation amounts to
35 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 20 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 8.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 58% of the time.
The average humidity is 70%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
11.1 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
18.6 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cool for swimming.
June is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
24.4 °C, with a minimum of
21 °C and a maximum of
27.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
17 °C. However, it dropped to
12.4 °C in June 2006.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
32.5 °C. However, it reached
43.4 °C in June 2007.
Precipitation amounts to
15 mm, distributed over 2 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 50 minutes. So the days are long. June 21, the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 10 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 66% of the time.
The average humidity is 70%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
10.6 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
22.4 °C. Therefore, the sea can be considered barely acceptable for swimming.
July is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
27.4 °C, with a minimum of
24 °C and a maximum of
30.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
20 °C. However, it dropped to
16.6 °C in July 2002.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
36 °C. However, it reached
41.6 °C in July 2009.
Precipitation amounts to
20 mm, distributed over 2 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 30 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 10.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 74% of the time.
The average humidity is 70%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
10.6 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
25.5 °C. Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.
August, the hottest month of the year, is generally a very hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
28 °C, with a minimum of
24.7 °C and a maximum of
31.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
21 °C. However, it dropped to
18.4 °C in August 2002.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
35.5 °C. However, it reached
41.8 °C in August 2006.
Precipitation amounts to
25 mm, distributed over 3 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 35 minutes.
There are on average 10 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 73% of the time.
The average humidity is 72%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
9.5 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
26.7 °C. Therefore, the sea is pleasantly warm and allows long swims.
September is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
24.5 °C, with a minimum of
21.4 °C and a maximum of
27.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
17.5 °C. However, it dropped to
13 °C in September 2002.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
32 °C. However, it reached
37.8 °C in September 2008.
Precipitation amounts to
65 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 8 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 64% of the time.
The average humidity is 73%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
8.9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
25.2 °C. Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.
October is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
21.1 °C, with a minimum of
18.2 °C and a maximum of
23.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
14 °C. However, it dropped to
8.8 °C in October 2007.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
28.5 °C. However, it reached
36.4 °C in October 1999.
Precipitation amounts to
115 mm, distributed over 9 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 10 minutes.
There are on average 6 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 55% of the time.
The average humidity is 76%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
9.1 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
22.5 °C. Therefore, the sea can be considered barely acceptable for swimming.
November is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
17.2 °C, with a minimum of
14.6 °C and a maximum of
19.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
10 °C. However, it dropped to
6.4 °C in November 2001.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
24.5 °C. However, it reached
29.4 °C in November 1992.
Precipitation amounts to
120 mm, distributed over 11 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 5 minutes.
There are on average 4.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 46% of the time.
The average humidity is 75%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
9.9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
19.5 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cool for swimming.
December is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
13.8 °C, with a minimum of
11.4 °C and a maximum of
16.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
6 °C. However, it dropped to
0.8 °C in December 2014.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
20.5 °C. However, it reached
28 °C in December 1995.
Precipitation amounts to
105 mm, distributed over 11 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 35 minutes. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 3.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 38% of the time.
The average humidity is 74%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
9.9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
16.6 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.