We are leaving for Italy on Thursday and will spend the first couple of weeks in the north - Milan, Lake Como, Dolomites. I've followed weather reports and it looks likes thunderstorms are predicted every day for that time. For those that are there now, can this be accurate? We plan to spend much of our time outdoors and this will make that difficult.
Posted by
Citizen of the World
2143 posts
When you see a thunderstorm or rainfall icon in a weather forecast for a certain day, it only means there is a possibility there could be a thundershower . It could last 30 minutes and you’ll see the same icon as you would if it lasted all afternoon. Ortisei , Italy in the Dolomites only has rain forecast for Sept 1, but when you drill down into the details, only 90 minutes of rain is forecast. After living in the Sierra Nevada here in California, I learned THE POSSIBILITY of thunderstorms was almost always forecast in the summer, but 90% of the time the storm never materialized. Residents in the Dolomites and the Alps will tell you that weather forecasts more than two days in advance are not reliable. I look at Accuweather’s hourly forecast to narrow down the specific hours the forecast projects it could rain and what percentage chance they are giving the possibility. It often is just between 3pm and 4 pm.
Be sure to ask at your hotel whose weather forecast they most trust so you know where to look.
Have great Trip!
Posted by
Vignola, Modena, Italy
564 posts
In September rain is normal in Italy, even if with the climatic change is impossible say what is normal.
The forecast for next week in northern Italy is that waves of wet air are flowing from west, so is very possible have rains. Could be a short rain, a light one, a huge heavy fast storm or even half a day rainy.
The suggestion in the Alps, where you cannot see afar due to the mountains, is to be always prepared for heavy rain even if in the morning there are no clouds and the sun is shining. Remember even that is possible that on one side of a mountain fall heavy rain and the streams are flooding the valley, while on the opposite side of the mountain is half sunny with no rain at all.
Posted by
Ohio
330 posts
Hi Jim, I feel your pain! We are going to start our RS tour in Varenna Sept. 4. I’ve been watching the weather too, little bit bummed about the rain forecast for the first segment of the trip.
I use Weather.com as my weather app and my husband uses WeatherBug app. The WeatherBug app always advises much better weather, so I have been short term banning Weather.Com and watching WeatherBug app! 😄 Fingers crossed…
Have a safe fun and exciting trip! We won’t let the rain get us down once we get there! Hopefully just short bouts of rain sprinkles with clouds! Nice to have good weather on “outside” days, though!