Weather, what’s the weather like this summer in the Mediterranean, area by area

What is the weather this summer in the Mediterranean? Here is a brief guide to summer weather conditions divided zone by zone, as shown in the map above.

Western Mediterranean

In summer, it is under the influence of the Azores Anticyclone, which provides nice and dry weather. Winds are mostly light and tend to come from the eastern quadrants. Gales have a frequency of 5% and calms of 5-6%. Along the Spanish coast, sea breezes typically reach force 4-5 in the early afternoon and drop at sunset. At night the breezes are weak. In the Majorca Island area, calms and light winds characterize the north coast, while in the south breezes often come from the east. If the wind rotates to the southwest it may indicate the arrival of a depression. In the area of the islands of Ibiza and Formentera, easterly winds are dominant and blow for several days; their interruption may indicate a change in the weather. The summer weather situation remains so until October.

Central Western Mediterranean

This area is also influenced by the Azores Anticyclone. The weather is generally nice and warm, with dominance of the breeze regime. Although less frequent than in other seasons, Mistral wind is the biggest concern for sailors. Along the coasts of Corsica and Sardinia: prevailing winds are northwest to southwest becoming stronger at the northern end. The east coast is more sheltered from westerly winds. Breezes prevailing along the western coasts, not exceeding force 4-5 with strong, rare, westerly/northwesterly winds. The Mistral can blow strongly, often heralded by cirriform clouds 12 to 24 hours in advance. In southern Sardinia, where the Mistral blows weaker, there can be strong Sirocco winds, especially in early summer. The Sardinia Channel accelerates the intensity of winds. In this area when the wind is totally absent it can indicate worsening weather.

Tyrrhenian Sea

Fine, dry weather with light breezes with frequent reduced visibility. It is one of the areas characterized by the most frequent calms, especially in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea. Mistral can also reach the central Tyrrhenian Sea where it tends to come more from the southwest. Scirocco affects the Gulf of Genoa with heavy seas and low clouds especially in the northern Tyrrhenian Sea. Thunderstorms are not uncommon but are short-lived.

Adriatic Sea

Generally clear, warm weather with calm, breezy winds. Sea breezes on the west coast tend to rotate from the northwest/northeast toward the southeast at sunset. On the east coast they are more oriented to the northwest. Land breezes after sunset along the east coast tend to come from the northeast in the northern part and from the east in the southern part. Along the west coast they arrive from the south/southwest. Gales are rare. In summer, Bora (infrequent) usually lasts two or three days at most. Sometimes only a few hours. Thunderstorms are frequent, 15 to 20 throughout the summer.

Ionian Sea

The area is characterized by the thermal contrast with the much higher temperatures in the desert areas of Africa. Winds are generally moderate and the weather is almost always good. The strong Meltemi wind (coming from the Aegean), may occasionally affect limited areas. Breeze regimes dominate in coastal areas. In Sicily they tend to come from south to southwest in the southern section and from northeast to southeast in the eastern section. In the northern Ionian, they blow force 2 to 5 from noon to sunset. In Malta the winds are weak.

Aegean Sea

The weather is generally nice and dry. Where and when the Meltemi does not blow, the wind is weak. But the area has the only stable seasonal wind in the Mediterranean, the Meltemi precisely. It can blow from May to October, but the period of greatest frequency and intensity is in July and August. The direction is from the north or northeast in the central Aegean, while in the Dodecanese (toward the Turkish coast) it blows from the northwest and is generally less strong. The real Meltemi, blowing up to gale force intensity, is most frequent from the line from the Northeast Aegean, proceeding to the islands of Limnos and Skiros, continuing to the Cyclades and going as far as Rhodes and Karpatos. In July and August it also lasts more than 5 days.

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