Vatican City in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Vatican City sees average daytime highs around 12°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 228 mm of precipitation over about 28 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 12°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Vatican City's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Vatican City's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 12°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 4°C
- Precipitation
- 228 mm
- 28 wet days
- Avg wind
- 9 km/h
- Travel score
- 3.4
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Vatican City in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 12°C.
A typical winter day in Vatican City reaches about 12°C and drops to 4°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Vatican City
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Vatican City weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12° / 4° | 63 | 8.6 | 9.3 | 3.2 |
| Feb | 13° / 4° | 71 | 9.2 | 10.3 | 3.6 |
| Mar | 16° / 6° | 74 | 9.1 | 11.7 | 5.1 |
| Apr | 19° / 9° | 77 | 10.6 | 13.1 | 6.0 |
| May | 23° / 13° | 58 | 8.4 | 14.3 | 7.3 |
| Jun | 28° / 17° | 34 | 5.5 | 15 | 7.1 |
| Jul | 31° / 19° | 23 | 4 | 14.7 | 5.8 |
| Aug | 31° / 20° | 22 | 4.3 | 13.7 | 5.5 |
| Sep | 26° / 16° | 84 | 8.8 | 12.3 | 7.0 |
| Oct | 22° / 13° | 116 | 10.4 | 10.9 | 6.7 |
| Nov | 16° / 8° | 128 | 12.2 | 9.6 | 4.9 |
| Dec | 12° / 5° | 94 | 10.6 | 9 | 3.4 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Vatican City gets around 228 mm of rain and snow over 28 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 9 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min in early December to 10 h 54 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.1 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Vatican City
In winter, Vatican City overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Vatican City's rainy season runs September–April, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Vatican City?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Vatican City.
What to pack for Vatican City in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Vatican City sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 28 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Vatican City in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 15°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 27 km away) is warmest in August at about 25°C and coldest in February near 14°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 1 to Oct 31 — about 5 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 16 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Bracing |
| Feb | 14 | Bracing |
| Mar | 14 | Bracing |
| Apr | 15 | Cool |
| May | 18 | Cool |
| Jun | 22 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 25 | Warm |
| Aug | 25 | Warm |
| Sep | 24 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 21 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 19 | Cool |
| Dec | 16 | Cool |
UV index in Vatican City in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Vatican City peaks around July 15 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 1 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Low | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Low |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | Moderate |
| Apr | 4 | Moderate |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 5 | High |
| Oct | 3 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2 | Low |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Air quality in Vatican City in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Vatican City is worst in April — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 15 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Moderate | Good | Moderate | Good | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Moderate |
| Feb | 15 | Moderate |
| Mar | 17 | Moderate |
| Apr | 17 | Moderate |
| May | 15 | Moderate |
| Jun | 14 | Moderate |
| Jul | 12 | Good |
| Aug | 13 | Moderate |
| Sep | 11 | Good |
| Oct | 12 | Moderate |
| Nov | 12 | Good |
| Dec | 13 | Moderate |
Where is Vatican City?
Vatican City sits at 41.9°N, 12.5°E, 55 m above sea level, in Vatican. The nearest listed city is Rome, 5.0 km away.
Topography around Vatican City
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Vatican City.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Vatican City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 140 m around an average of 56 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 179 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,182 m.
The land around Vatican City is covered by artificial surfaces (59%) and trees (34%) within 3 km, trees (31%), artificial surfaces (29%) and cropland (22%) within 16 km, and trees (45%) and water (26%) within 80 km.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Vatican City (41.9027°, 12.4541°, elevation 55 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.