Climate Emilia-Romagna
From the Alpine massifs to the heel of the Italian Botte, the country offers a wide variety of climates, and the clichés of Mediterranean weather and sunshine darting its warm rays six months a year apply especially to the Centre-South (and provided you stay away from the Apennines!). Thus, in Emilia-Romagna, the climate is continental, with fairly marked seasons, hot summers and harsh winters. Over the course of a year, the thermal differences between maximum and minimum temperatures can sometimes prove to be significant. In spring and autumn, rainfall can be a feature of the regional weather forecast, and a rainy mantle sprinkles art cities and agricultural plains, sometimes continuously from morning to evening. The inhabitants do not fail to complain about this capricious weather: "Here, it's raining, as usual!", will not hesitate to say the Bolognese in a telephone conversation... even if it's only been grey for two days!
A diversity of landscapes and climates
If we first associate the image of Emilia Romagna with that of the vast, homogenous Padanian plain, punctuated by towns, the region presents a wide variety of landscapes and, consequently, weather conditions that vary according to whether one is on the plain, in the mountains or on the coast.
In the Po plain, summers can be very hot, and heat waves are not exceptional, with temperatures that can exceed 35 degrees Celsius. The humidity that characterises the climate of the Padanian plain reinforces the impression of stifling heat. This high level of humidity, combined with an important hydrographic network, favours the development of green vegetation. In winter, on the other hand, temperatures drop and can drop to zero degrees; the city of Piacenza, bordered by the River Po, experiences the same temperatures as Berlin in the middle of this season! The rainfall regime is of particular interest in spring and autumn, with averages of 650 to 800 mm per year; the rivers swell and sometimes leave their beds and flood the plain and the nearby habitat. States of emergency and floods have unfortunately increased in Emilia-Romagna and other Italian regions over the last ten years or so, and many point to climate change . Finally, in all seasons, a thick fog sometimes envelops the Padanian plain with its vaporous mantle, as far as the Lido ferrarais.
The Apennines have an oceanic-type climate: snow generally occurs between November and March, sometimes until April, making the Apennines a popular destination for powder snow lovers. Rainfall is relatively high, between 1,500 and 2,000 mm per year on average. Summers are cooler and more breathable than on the plains, with occasional rainy and stormy episodes.
On the coast, the climate is temperate and maritime, but we cannot speak of a Mediterranean climate. Humidity is still present - beware of mosquitoes in summer! - while winters are milder and milder than inland.
The best seasons to discover the region
The most pleasant seasons to visit Emilia-Romagna are late spring and early autumn, when you can enjoy the mild weather and the beauty of the sites without bending under the heat or complaining about the rain. Although the cities can be discovered at any time of the year, it is best to avoid the heart of summer and its hot episodes, as well as late autumn and winter from January to March, periods that are more prone to precipitation. In December, as the festive season approaches, the streets and monuments are adorned with their illuminations, and small Christmas markets brighten up certain squares: you can enjoy the magic of Christmas as long as you are well wrapped up! In summer, the beaches of the Adriatic coast are taken by storm by holidaymakers. If the crowds frighten you but you want to enjoy the wide sandy strips of the Romagna Lidi, you should know that the late season can be very pleasant and sunny and that, overall, swimming is possible until mid-October and even beyond.
