March weather in Italy

Of course, no one here knows what the weather will be when you are there.

There are many websites that give you the past weather data, averages or day-by-day, by location and month, going back a number of years--but these are only averages, not weather predictions for when you are there.

When it gets within about 5 days or so of your trip, the above type sites will give you an actual weather prediction.

Would help if you say where in Italy you're going, since Italy is a long country from north to south and the weather can vary a lot depending on where in Italy you are, and at what elevation.

We were in Italy from late February to March 10 several years ago, and the weather was wonderful. We were in Sicily and Rome. I don't remember any unpleasant weather at all. I usually pack a very light jacket and a windbreaker, and I'm sure those were all I needed in the evenings. I probably also had a cardigan sweater. I don't think it even rained while we were there.

What part of Italy will you be visiting? I'd expect colder weather in the north, and warm in the south. I don't think we got north of Rome that trip.

I wouldn't fool around with averages. I'd go for day-by-day actual data. You can find that on timeanddate.com. Here's Rome for March 2018. Scroll backwards for the first half of the month. Do check for multiple years to get a clearer picture.

And do look at your other destinations. Venice, for example, might be a good bit cooler.

Look on Wikipedia for the city you're going to . They show average temp. highs, average lows, precipitation, days with precipitation. It gives you a good idea of what clothes to take with you.
We used to go the last couple of days of April to get the Winter airfares, and there's a definite weather change in April usually in Central Europe.

I think he's probably asking "what season" will it be on March at Italy.

We will be in Rome in mid-March as well. Anyone have any recommendations on which weather site seems to be the most “accurate”?

No weather website is accurate beyond one week.
At this point of time you can only check historical data and averages, which can give you a general idea of what the weather could be, but it is no way a certain forecast for next year. March weather in Italy is also notoriously unstable, changeable and unpredictable, so it’s best to be ready for anything.
High daily temperatures in the 50s F with possibility of rain is the best prediction I can make now for major cities at low altitude. Obviously it can snow up in the Alps, and southern Italy is slightly warmer than northern Italy.

Below is the average data for selected Italian cities:

https://www.holiday-weather.com/naples/averages/march/
https://www.holiday-weather.com/rome/averages/march/
https://www.holiday-weather.com/florence/averages/march/
https://www.holiday-weather.com/genoa/averages/march/
https://www.holiday-weather.com/venice/averages/march/
https://www.holiday-weather.com/milan/averages/march/

It’s about 800 miles from the top to the bottom of Italy plus you could be at sea level or thousands of feet up a mountain, so the weather will vary significantly.

Others have pointed you to historical data. The weather in most of Europe has been unpredictable this year, so averages don’t mean much.

Anywhere in mainland Europe in early March is likely to mean that you will see some rain plus the evenings will still be cool. You may see snow on higher ground in the north.

For weather forecasts, always use the Met Office of whichever country you are visiting, as I have always found this to be more accurate. In Italy, you need Meteoam.it.

It depends wholly on where you are in Italy?

I've experienced Italy in February. In Milan it was pleasant, a lightweight jacket would suffice however on the train journey down to Rome we passed through areas covered in snow as we climbed higher in elevation. In Rome we ditched the jackets and were comfortable in jeans and short sleeves.

I've been in Sorrento in February in shorts and T-Shirts although the Italians were still wrapped up in their winter coats and scarves.

My wife has been in Rome in February during a heavy snow storm.

Who knows!

Roberto - I understand that no weather site is accurate beyond one week, I guess my question was a little vague. I just wondered which weather site is accurate in general. When we were in Prague a couple of months ago, I checked several weather sites for our trip a week prior and got conflicting forecasts with regards to rain - one said rain, another said cloudy and a third said partly cloudy. While we were there, it was mostly sunny!

It's totally a crapshoot, sports fans!

JC had shorts & T-shirts in Sorrento in February?! Planets must have aligned. Last year March, after a be-youtiful week in Rome--40 at night, 60 during the day with no rain--we arrived Sorrento on March 7, expecting more of the same (or better), with it being 100+ km south of Rome. Uh, no. It was absolutely horrendous for 3 days--40's and coastal driving rain--and our B&B heat was marginally operable, making those Italian tile floors decidedly frosty. (Hint: those traveling to Italy in March, or winter in general, bring slippers!). Last two days, it cleared a bit, allowing us to experience Positano in the fog & peeking sun, truly memorable.

But don't count on anything, and weather forecasts in Italy are unreliable more than 3 days out in my opinion--it's gonna be what it's gonna be. Bring layers, including a stocking cap and gloves, which don't take much space. Your reward, OP, for traveling in March? You basically have the country--save the urban tourist areas on weekends--to yourself, with very few tourists about. The locals are chill, happy to see you. Easy to get into museums, restaurants, buses/Metro, etc. That trumps everything in my opinion.

Enjoy your planning!

JC had shorts & T-shirts in Sorrento in February?! Planets must have aligned

Possibly although my trip to Barcelona in February had me in shorts and T-shirt during the day and during my trips to the Costa Del Sol in February/March you can guarantee that I'll be in shorts. I may be lucky or I may be foolhardy or just don't feel the cold. I'm still in shorts and a T-Shirt whilst typing this however I'm at home and if I do decide to pop out then I'll slip on a pair of jeans.

Portsmouth, VA? Maybe. Portsmouth, NH? I think you've gone round the bend... :)

I’m with Jay.

Your anecdotal experience of the weather once or twice while in Italy doesn’t mean anything.

Every Florentine old enough like me to have been there in the 1980s remembers the snowfall of the century of March 16, 1987 or the extraordinary cold of January 12, 1985 when you could skate on the Venice lagoon and on the river Arno and Florence was under ice.

Although those were extraordinary events, however snowfall in March and even early April is not so unusual even at low altitudes.

Spring is unpredictable and March especially. As the Italian rhyme says: Oh Marzo, Marzo pazzerello, guarda il sole e apri l’ombrello (Oh March, crazy March. Look at the sun and open the umbrella).

My experience has been that weather predictions a few days out are often pretty good on temperature but of questionable utility when it comes to predicting precipitation. I try not to hit areas prone to rain before June, preferring to avoid the miserable combo of cold + rain, but even in the summer I've learned it's foolhardy not to take a rain jacket and/or umbrella with me in the UK, Normandy, etc., when I head out for the day, just on the basis of the weather forecast or what I can see (in one direction) from my hotel-room window.

I haven't researched Italy in March, so I don't know whether it is more or less rainy than the western edge of Europe in the summer.

Looks like a thread where the OP is MIA.

Our actually experience in March a couple of years ago around Florence for a week was mostly sunny, sometimes clouds, with light rain from time to time that varied from morning to afternoon. Never heavy. When it was cloudy it tended to be cooler with higher humidity, and sometimes breezy. Almost always had a light rain jacket, often over a sweater or a light weight vest (one day both), umbrella, and sunglasses with a hat. No need for winter coats or gloves and too early for shorts. All in all the weather was very good.