Weather / Humidity in the Mediterranean

[CaliCruzing]

I'm planning on doing a family cruise this summer and was thinking about going to the Mediterranean. We remember the first time we went to Orlando in the summer and the humidity there was brutal. It was almost unbearable to walk outside. We had to carry one of those spray bottle fan things. Overall I won't be going to Florida in the summer it is way too hot and humid there. Either way, that is why we chose the Mediterranean as our destination for our first cruise. What we didn't know is that apparently it gets humid in the summer? I thought it had the same climate type as what we have here in California. From what I've read here it seems more people complain about humidity in the western Mediterranean (Rome, Barcelona, Ibiza, Naples, French Riviera)  than the eastern Mediterranean with the exception of Venice (Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Croatia, Montenegro). Can anyone tell me how humid the Mediterranean is in the summer? I'm limited to only the months of June, July, and August because of kids schooling. 

[cruisemom42]

Well, the Mediterranean does (by definition) have a Mediterranean climate -- warm to hot and less humid in summers, and cooler and wetter in the winters. 

 

But that's not to say that it cannot feel humid in summer in various parts of the Med. I don't know what the averages are like in California, but I live in a place where summer humidity is about as bad as it can get, and the Med is certainly less humid than our summers (in Georgia). However, I wouldn't really call it desert-like.

 

You can look at various weather sites to compare humidity of a specific location in July or August with what you are used to. In general, I saw on one site that Italy in summer (July) has an average humidity level of around 55% -- but that will vary widely based on whether you are at the seashore, in a more mountainous area, in the dry south of Italy, etc.

 

I think many who complain about the "humidity" often aren't used to spending long portions of their days touring outside in the summer months with no air conditioning. Heat, whether or not it is a humid heat, can still be brutal. Especially when magnified in cities (little greenery, crowded with people in summer) or even in rocky ruins like Pompeii or Ephesus where the sun just seems to radiate off the stone and there is little shade.

 

[bennybear]

I was a teacher and had to go in summers,  it could be extremely hot.   We were in the south  of France during a horrendous heat wave and the humidity was insane,  Florence was in the forties centigrade.  So extreme heat,  our daughter got heat stroke on the Cinque Terre. 

We found the islands of Greece generally better,  with nice sea breezes but it too could be very hot.  
 

I would still go as we did, because we loved it so much,  but perhaps as early in June as you can! 

[CaliCruzing]

11 hours ago, bennybear said:

So extreme heat,  our daughter got heat stroke on the Cinque Terre.

When in the summer did you go I'm trying to see if it's possible for my family to go as early as possible in June, but I'm not sure with Covid.

[bennybear]

We went in July and August. Each year will differ, but be prepared, lots to drink, those bandanas that you soak in water that stay cool,  hats, stay inside during the hottest part of the day....

Edited January 27, 2021 by bennybear

[iancal]

We have been multiple times.  Spring but mostly in the fall.   Mid Sept to Oct.

 

I went once with my son who was in high school.  Summer.  It was awful.   Very hot, very crowded.  Never again in the the summer.

[mskaufman]

In Rome we couldn't buy bottles of water fast enough.  We bought 2L bottles in which the water was frozen.  Stay hydrated.  We have a teacher in the family so summer is our only choice.

[yogini06]

I went twice.  The first time we arrived in Rome on June 21st it was 97 degrees.  Second visit we arrive June 3rd.  Much better temperatures for sightseeing.  This year we are going in May.