Sicily's climate month by month for remote workers

Sicily's climate is the reason many people come, and also what makes July hard work. The island has two easy seasons for working (spring and autumn), one mild but wet winter, and a summer that is wonderful for the sea and hard on concentration if your flat has no air conditioning.

Below you'll find monthly data for five cities, what each season means for a working day, the Etna factor for anyone flying into Catania, and the best months depending on what you want. All the tables come from long-term station averages, with the station and period named, so treat them as normals, not forecasts.

How to read the data

Air temperatures and rain days are official station normals. Stations differ in height and position, and the periods differ too (1961–1990 for Catania and Siracusa, 1991–2020 for the others), so small gaps between cities shouldn't be over-read.
Sea temperatures are Weather Atlas long-term averages. Weather Atlas is an aggregator, not a measuring station.
Rain days are counted differently by each series (for Trapani and Messina, days with at least 1 mm).

The five cities at a glance

City	Station and period	Avg high / low (year)	Rain days (year)	Annual rain	Sunshine (year)
Palermo	Boccadifalco, 117 m, outskirts, 1991–2020	22.5 / 15.3 °C	72	590.6 mm	~2,530 h (station not named)
Catania	Fontanarossa airport, 1961–1990	23.1 / 11.5 °C	56	547.2 mm	3,225.9 h (Sigonella, inland)
Siracusa	Idroscalo, 1961–1990	22.4 / 13.7 °C	60	526 mm	n/a
Trapani	Birgi airport, 1991–2020	22.3 / 13.7 °C	64	495.7 mm (1971–2000)	2,766 h
Messina	Messina, 1991–2020	22.3 / 16.4 °C	85.8	846.9 mm (1971–2000)	2,659.5 h

Two things stand out. Messina is the wettest of the five and has the mildest nights. Catania and Siracusa, on the other hand, have the coldest winter nights. Il Sole 24 Ore, writing about Palermo in May 2025, quoted about 300 sunny days a year.

Month by month

Palermo

Air: Palermo-Boccadifalco (117 m, outskirts), normals 1991–2020, Servizio Meteorologico Aeronautica Militare. Sea: Weather Atlas.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Sea	Rain days
Jan	15.1 °C	9.2 °C	15.1 °C	9.3
Feb	15.3 °C	8.9 °C	14.3 °C	8.8
Mar	16.7 °C	10.1 °C	14.7 °C	7.7
Apr	19.8 °C	12.2 °C	15.8 °C	6.4
May	24.0 °C	15.8 °C	18.8 °C	3.7
Jun	28.1 °C	19.7 °C	23.1 °C	1.6
Jul	30.9 °C	22.5 °C	25.8 °C	0.7
Aug	31.4 °C	23.1 °C	26.3 °C	1.8
Sep	27.9 °C	20.5 °C	25.1 °C	4.7
Oct	24.3 °C	17.5 °C	22.3 °C	7.8
Nov	19.8 °C	13.6 °C	19.9 °C	9.4
Dec	16.3 °C	10.5 °C	16.7 °C	10.1

The airport at Punta Raisi, on the coast, is milder in summer: July and August maxima of 28.3 and 28.8 °C (1961–1990). More on living there on the Palermo page.

Catania

Air: Catania Fontanarossa airport, WMO normals 1961–1990 (CLINO, Aeronautica Militare). Sea: Weather Atlas. Sunshine: Catania-Sigonella, NOAA 1991–2020, hours per month.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Sea	Rain days	Sunshine
Jan	15.8 °C	5.3 °C	15.3 °C	8	184.1 h
Feb	16.4 °C	5.4 °C	14.6 °C	7	187.4 h
Mar	17.8 °C	6.5 °C	14.9 °C	6	245.3 h
Apr	20.3 °C	8.3 °C	16.0 °C	5	276.1 h
May	24.2 °C	11.6 °C	18.9 °C	3	318.4 h
Jun	28.3 °C	15.6 °C	23.1 °C	1	381.6 h
Jul	31.7 °C	18.5 °C	25.8 °C	1	378.9 h
Aug	32.0 °C	19.2 °C	26.3 °C	2	369.9 h
Sep	29.1 °C	17.1 °C	25.4 °C	3	288.1 h
Oct	24.7 °C	13.7 °C	22.6 °C	7	231.7 h
Nov	20.3 °C	9.7 °C	20.2 °C	5	182.2 h
Dec	16.8 °C	6.7 °C	17.2 °C	8	182.3 h

Sigonella is an inland air base about 15 km south-west of the city and hotter in summer than the seafront: its mean maxima are 35.1 °C in July and 35.5 °C in August, with a record of 46.7 °C. See the Catania page.

Siracusa

Air: Siracusa Idroscalo, normals 1961–1990 (ENEA climate tables). Sea and sunshine: Weather Atlas (sunshine in hours per day, aggregator data).

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Sea	Rain days	Sun per day
Jan	14.8 °C	7.3 °C	15.4 °C	9	4 h
Feb	15.3 °C	7.5 °C	14.8 °C	7	5 h
Mar	17.1 °C	8.7 °C	15.2 °C	6	6 h
Apr	19.7 °C	10.7 °C	16.1 °C	4	7 h
May	23.7 °C	13.9 °C	18.8 °C	3	9 h
Jun	28.2 °C	17.8 °C	22.8 °C	1	10 h
Jul	31.3 °C	20.7 °C	25.7 °C	1	11 h
Aug	31.2 °C	21.2 °C	26.3 °C	1	10 h
Sep	28.1 °C	19.2 °C	25.4 °C	4	8 h
Oct	24.0 °C	16.0 °C	22.8 °C	7	7 h
Nov	19.6 °C	12.1 °C	20.3 °C	8	5 h
Dec	16.3 °C	9.0 °C	17.3 °C	9	4 h

The province holds the European heat record: 48.8 °C at Floridia on 11 August 2021. More on the Siracusa page.

Trapani

Air and sunshine: Trapani Birgi airport, NOAA normals 1991–2020 (rain days with at least 1 mm). Sea: Weather Atlas.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Sea	Rain days	Sunshine
Jan	15.1 °C	7.6 °C	14.9 °C	8.9	148.2 h
Feb	15.0 °C	7.3 °C	14.3 °C	7.8	161.3 h
Mar	17.0 °C	8.7 °C	14.5 °C	6.4	209.3 h
Apr	19.7 °C	10.6 °C	15.8 °C	5.3	233.7 h
May	23.6 °C	13.9 °C	18.5 °C	3.2	290.5 h
Jun	27.6 °C	17.4 °C	22.8 °C	1.0	316.8 h
Jul	30.3 °C	20.3 °C	25.5 °C	0.5	349.1 h
Aug	31.1 °C	21.2 °C	26.1 °C	1.1	318.7 h
Sep	28.1 °C	19.3 °C	24.9 °C	4.7	232.2 h
Oct	24.3 °C	15.9 °C	22.3 °C	6.6	202.7 h
Nov	20.0 °C	12.4 °C	19.8 °C	8.5	157.2 h
Dec	16.3 °C	9.4 °C	16.8 °C	10.0	146.3 h

Trapani sits on the open west coast and is windy. See the Trapani page.

Messina

Air and sunshine: Messina, NOAA normals 1991–2020 (rain days with at least 1 mm). Sea: Weather Atlas.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Sea	Rain days	Sunshine
Jan	14.8 °C	10.1 °C	15.1 °C	10.9	142.6 h
Feb	15.0 °C	9.7 °C	14.4 °C	9.9	153.2 h
Mar	16.9 °C	11.3 °C	14.8 °C	8.9	207.7 h
Apr	19.4 °C	13.3 °C	15.9 °C	6.9	222.0 h
May	23.4 °C	16.9 °C	18.9 °C	4.3	277.5 h
Jun	27.8 °C	21.1 °C	23.3 °C	2.8	300.0 h
Jul	30.9 °C	24.0 °C	26.2 °C	2.0	334.2 h
Aug	31.4 °C	24.7 °C	26.4 °C	2.3	314.0 h
Sep	27.8 °C	21.4 °C	25.4 °C	7.4	231.9 h
Oct	24.0 °C	18.3 °C	22.5 °C	7.9	199.0 h
Nov	19.8 °C	14.6 °C	20.1 °C	10.7	150.9 h
Dec	16.2 °C	11.4 °C	17.1 °C	11.7	126.5 h

Very mild nights, and the most rain of the five. See the Messina page.

What each season means for remote work

Summer (June–September): heat and air conditioning

Summer is dry: one or two rain days a month from June to August in every city. Average August highs are 31–32 °C in all five cities, and nights stay above 20 °C in Palermo, Siracusa, Trapani and Messina. Inland it's much hotter, as the Sigonella and Floridia figures show. The scirocco, the hot, dusty south-east wind from Africa, adds days that feel worse than the averages; we haven't found reliable figures on how often it blows, so we won't give you any.

For work, this means:

Air conditioning is the first thing to check in any summer let. The Palermo colivings all list it on Coliving.com, but in an ordinary flat ask which rooms have it and whether it's billed separately.
Shift your hours. Mornings are the productive part of a July day. Many shops close for lunch, roughly 12:30 to 15:30, and the early afternoon is the quietest part of the day.
August is a holiday month. Ferragosto (15 August) is a public holiday and most companies close for about two weeks in August. Check your coworking's August hours before you count on it.
Housing is at its tightest. From June to September short lets in seaside and central areas spike; see the housing chapter.

Autumn (October–November): the long tail of summer

The sea stays warm (22.3–22.8 °C in October, around 20 °C in November) while highs drop to 24 °C and then about 20 °C. Rain returns: October to January are the wettest months, and November brings 9–11 rain days in Palermo and Messina. For remote work, October is hard to beat: the sea is still warm, the summer heat has gone and the short-let spike is over.

Winter (December–February): mild and wet

January highs are about 15 °C everywhere. The difference is at night: average January lows are 5.3 °C at Catania Fontanarossa and 7.3 °C in Siracusa, against 9.2 °C in Palermo and 10.1 °C in Messina. December and January are also among the rainiest months (10.1 rain days in Palermo in December, 11.7 in Messina).

What matters for work is the inside of the flat, not the sky. Ask what heating there is before you sign, which rooms it reaches and how it's billed; heating shows up among the negatives in one Palermo coliving's 2026 reviews. Check for signs of damp when you visit. A coworking with heating is worth its price on a grey February week. Our winter article goes into the season in detail.

Spring (March–May): the other sweet spot

Highs climb from about 17 °C in March to 23–24 °C in May, rain days fall from 6–9 in March to 3–4 in May, and the sea is still cold until late May (18.5–18.9 °C). It's the quietest window for concentration, with long days and no heat. Holy Week processions and spring festivals concentrate on specific towns and dates (see the table below).

Etna and Catania airport

If you live in eastern Sicily, Etna is part of the climate. Ash from eruptions can close or limit Catania airport. During the Etna emergency of 7–17 August 2026, Palermo airport handled 710 flights diverted from Catania or rescheduled, and more than 112,000 extra passengers. In early July 2026, another 20 flights were diverted from Catania to Palermo.

Practical consequences:

Leave slack around important trips from Catania, especially in summer.
Know the fallback. SAIS Autolinee runs Palermo–Catania buses at €14 one way, including a Palermo–Catania Aeroporto line at the same fare. Buses leave about once an hour (18 a day on weekdays) and take 2h33–2h50. The direct train, reopened on 14 September 2026, runs five times a day from Palermo on weekdays (three on Sundays), takes just under three hours and costs €17.20.
Check your airline's rebooking rules and keep the airport's news page bookmarked.

The transport chapter covers airports and connections in full.

Best months by goal

Goal	Best months	Why (from the data above)
Swimming	June–October	Sea 22.3–26.4 °C; May (about 19 °C) and November (about 20 °C) for hardier swimmers
Working comfortably	April–June, September–October	Highs of roughly 19–29 °C, 1–8 rain days a month
Lower rents and more choice	October–May	Outside the June–September short-let spike
Dry weather	June–August	0.5–2.8 rain days a month
Mild winter nights	Palermo, Messina (December–February)	January lows 9.2 and 10.1 °C
Winter sun	Catania	184.1 h in January at Sigonella, against 142.6 h in Messina and 148.2 h in Trapani

What's on, by season

Festivals fill specific cities for a few days and are worth planning around, in either direction. We give 2027 dates where they were already published, otherwise the 2026 dates as a guide.

When	Where	Event
3–5 February 2027 (main days, same dates every year)	Catania	Festa di Sant'Agata
26–27 March 2027	Trapani	Processione dei Misteri, Holy Week
7 May – late June 2027	Siracusa	INDA classical drama season at the Greek Theatre
10–15 July 2026	Palermo	Festino di Santa Rosalia
15 August 2026 (festivities from 31 July)	Messina	La Vara procession
19 September – 15 November 2026	Palermo and other cities	Le Vie dei Tesori (open heritage sites)

Checklist: planning around the weather

Pick your months with the table above and check the city's own data.
Summer stay: confirm air conditioning in writing, room by room.
Winter stay: confirm heating and how it's billed; visit for damp.
August: check your coworking's hours around Ferragosto.
Flying from Catania: keep a day of margin and note the SAIS bus to Palermo.
Book housing for June–September early, or come in October.

For where to live, see the housing chapter; for the cities themselves, start from Palermo, Catania, Siracusa, Trapani or Messina.

Sicily's climate month by month: what each season means for remote work

In short